Thicker Than Water
by fourthelement
Summary: When a space vessel carrying Tameranian passengers crashes near Jump City, the Titans welcome the company. They aren't completely welcome, however, as things start to fall apart around them. How will the Titans hold together? [Complete]
1. I

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans is not mine. Do not accuse me of crimes I have not commited:Begins to cry: You can, however, accuse me of crimes I _have_ committed . . . such as changing October tuscany's profile (funny story really) or eating hot peppers or . . . :trails off chattering: Well, you get the point.**

**Rory: Wow, first chap already! I'm listening to "Jesus of Suburbia" by Green Day on the radio. Odd song.**

**Anyways, this is the sequel to "Sisters." I hope you like it. If you don't know what's happening, don't mind.**

**To EMBER91: Thanks a bunch!**

**To Raidersrule76: It was supposed to confuse you. I did a good job, then.**

**Read on!

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**

It was a rather average day at the Tower; however, average days at the Tower weren't usually average. Raven was attempting to teach Cyborg to meditate to no avail. Beast Boy was putting tofu slices in the turkey bag. Starfire was in her room, admiring some baubles from the Mall of Shopping. Robin had the stereo in the basement cranked up so loud, some of the local seismologists were quickly dialing up the governor of California. As I said, a rather average day.

At that point, the alarm went off. By some miracle of nature, Robin not only had any hearing whatsoever left, but he actually _heard_ the alarm. "Titans, go!" He yelled. Nobody heard him. He sighed, then reluctantly turnedc down Shady. "Titans, go!"

They sprang into action. Cy revved up the T-car and drove off. Beast Boy morphed into an eagle and flew off. Raven and Starfire soared into the sky. Robin took his motorcycle.

"So what is it this time?" Raven's monotonous voice came over the communicator.

"I dunno," said Robin. "It's at the north end of town."

Cyborg sped along. "I don't see _why_ we just don't move the Tower. _Everything's_ on the north end of town."

"It takes the long journey to reach our destination," Starfire agreed.

Beast Boy smacked into a telephone pole.

After catching the dazed teen, Raven replied, "If we did, then all the crime would move to the other side of the city. It always works out that way. They try to stay away from us."

"Yeah, whatever." Cy coasted to a stop in front of National Park. A huge, smoking crater lay in the center of the park. Something had obviously crashed there. Thankfully, the park had been remodeling at the time and no one was present. "Whoa," he said to himself. He flipped open his arm communicator. "Hey, guys, ya better hurry. There's some sorta space thingy in here, and it looks a lot like a slug or somethin'."

Raven, carrying Beast Boy, and Starfire alit to the ground besides Cyborg. "What is this 'slug' you speak of?" Starfire asked curiously.

"It's a nasty lookin' thing that slides around on the ground," he explained.

She looked thoughtful. "Oh."

Robin now slid up to them, leaving deep tracks in the soft gorund. "What is _that_?" he asked, pulling off his helmet.

"A space vessel," Raven said. "I came to Earth on one of those."

Carefully, Robin climbed down into the crater. He examined it, trying to find a door. "I cdan't find it," he muttered. "Where's Terra, anyways? She and Sierra could lift this thing in a second."

"They're off on a clue search again," Raven said. "Metrion, Robin, they're worse than you about the Slade thing."

"I resent that." He kneeled. "Hey, guys, there's something written on here."

Indeed, the side of the vessel was painted with beautiful green lettering. It just wasn't in English. The letters curled and made sharp edges. Somehow, it barely looked _human_.

The Titans clambered into the crater and crowded about the ship, staring in wonder. "It's not from Akinariza," Raven said. "That's where the vessel is from, though."

Starfire gasped and dropped from the sky.

"That – that – it cannot – " she stammered. She was staring at the starship. "_Luand'r_," she whispered. "Kutori niry comproso."

Robin put a hand on her shoulder. "Star, what's wrong?" he asked.

"My – I believe you say – mother. That is her name on the side of the ship."

Suddenly, there was a great creaking noise, and a hatch on the top slowly pulled itself open. A head stuck itself out of the top and twisted about. "Miesoth porputani'ek. Sorbeth Nei'korian."

The head was male, with black hair that looked like it needed a haircut. He looked to be about fifteen. His eyes were diamond-shaped and _red_. When he climbed out of the ship, he revealed a tall, muscular build. He wore black shorts with red lines trimming the bottom and a shoulder-guard-thing that looked Tameranian, only made out of black metal. There was a long piece of black fabric that came out of the front, hanging down his chest, again lined with two red stripes, that reached almost to his waist. A band of black metal circled his right arm.

For some reason, he stared at Starfire, walking closer. "Kori?" he inquired.

She stared back, green eyes wide. Then, she threw her arms around him and pushed her face into his chest. He hugged her back, saying something in Tameranian which really could not be written in English symbols.

Robin, to say the least, was pissed.

"What – " he began, but Raven stopped him.

"That's probably not what you think," she said.

Indeed, after a minute, Starfire let go of him and pulled him over. "Friends," she said happily, "This is my brother, Ryand'r."

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**Hahaha! I bet you thought it was her boyfriend or her dad! Even if you didn't . . . I still liked the chapter! If you did too maybe you could, oh, I don't know, review maybe?**

**That would be great!**

**Anyways, signing off.**

**Rory**


	2. II

**Disclaimer: Okay, not mine, people. I don't own Teen Titans. It's not really that hard of a concept, see . . .**

**Rory: GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! My disk that this chapter was originally saved on was unformatted, and while reformatting it, I lost the chap. I am sooooo sorry!**

**I guess I'd better start typing it, eh?**

**Okay. Now for reviews. . .**

**ArcherGirl87: Thanks. In the comics, Star's brother really is named Ryand'r.**

**EMBER91: Hey Ems! Yeayity then.**

**shadowedstar213: Yep, that's them, all right. Have fun with this story.**

**starfirefan05: Thanks. Yeah, he does, but it'll explain it in this chapter.**

**HeavensAngel009: Heh thanks!**

**Raidersrule76: Yeah. Basically. Only he'll get a new name (Like Star did.) Anyhow . . Yeah. Read on.

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The Titans gave wary looks to the newcomer. Beast Boy was being his normal annoying self. "Who're what're you?" he asked, tilting his head to one side.**

The teen tilted his head to mirror Beast Boy. "Earth, sonyog, Koriand'r? Kinag – konnichiwa? Ohayou?"

He blinked in response. "Wha?"

Ryand'r tried again. "Svegen se Deutsch? Parlai vous Francais?"

"What are ya sayin' there?"

"Hablo Espanol?"

The green teen just blinked at him. "Don't you speak English like Star?"

"Ohhhhh," Ryand'r said, relieved. "English, you speak!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Robin said. "Star, how does your brother know English so well? And how does he know all those other Earth languages? Raven spent _months_ teaching you to speak our language!"

She shrugged. "I do not know."

Ryand'r glared at Robin. "You could have asked me, you know. I am not incompetent in this language."

Suddenly, a loud creaking noise came from the _Luand'r_. They turned, and Ryand'r flew back over. "k'ieZ miori, Korian, k'ieZ miori." He lifted the hatch, and reached inside. A girl's head popped out. Her eyes were sapphire blue, and her skin looked like that of Starfire and her brother. The matching azure hair was split into two braids. She didn't look very old, possibly thirteen or so, and she was wearing a black and white outfit that looked similar to the one Blackfire wore. She wore black leggings under the short, tight skirt, and a black cloak stuck out from under the neck-wraparound-thing. The gems on her arms were smooth onyx stones. A band of white metal wrapped around her left arm.

"Great, another one," Raven muttered. Robin elbowed her.

"Who are you?" Beast Boy asked quite rudely.

She stared at him, blue eyes wide. The girl tugged on her braids. "kublai natchez skeY, Ryan?" she asked. Then, she noticed Starfire, and she slid from the top of the _Luand'r_. In very bad English, she said, "You are the Fire-Star? The one of the Titans Team?"

"Teen Titans, and I am called 'Starfire' on Earth," the Tameranian replied patiently. "Are you a friend of my brother's?"

She shook her head. "They – ed-name I Koriand'r," she said. "For you."

Ryand'r smiled. "Korian helped me to come to Earth," he said. "I have a lot to tell you, sister!"

Cyborg spoke up. "We'd love to hear it, man," he said.

He paused. "I guess I should start from the beginning?" he said with a look to Starfire's face.

She nodded. "I would like to hear the story. I am not much a part of it."

"All right." He sat on the ground and pulled Korian with him, setting her on his lap like she was his five-year-old little sister. "I was born in the Tameranian palace in Kori's first year and Koma's second year. When I was five, my sisters were sold to another race as slaves. I was kept because I was a male, and I was supposed to be a king. It is my fault, really, that Kori and Koma were sold.

"It was peaceful at the palace until I was seven Earth years old.

"Then, a race called the Promethionians captured me. They knew that Tameranians had immense strength, and that those of noble blood – green blood – could shoot the starlight. They thought, 'who better than the daughter of the king?' But the daughters were gone. The Promethionians took me.

"For years, they ran experiments on me and injected a serum into my blood. It hurt a lot. I later found out that it was knowledge. I was given the knowledge of every language known in the universe to the Promethionians, which was a great many. I also gained other powers: I can shape my starbolts now.

"But the potion had other effects." He paused. "As you can see, my blood changed color, and my eyes are red now, and my hair darkened. So did the stones of my family, and the life-metal that covers my arms and neck.

"They did not know why it happened, but it did. They wanted to run more experiments on me, but I did not let them." Ryand'r grimaced. "I escaped when I was fourteen.

"From the asteroid the Promethionians inhabited, I went home to Tameran. I made a wrong turn, and landed on Korian's planet by mistake. She found me and helped me."

The girl nodded, and held out her hand, palm up. A bluish image of her helping an amber-haired and hazel-eyed Ryand'r appeared in a globe. He smiled at her and nodded. "Korian is our cousin. Her mother is our mother's sister, Kori," he told Starfire.

"From there, we were able to find my planet. But it was not as I left it. Father had been killed, Mother was gone, and Komand'r had taken over. She tricked me into thinking that she still loved me as family, and while I was sleeping, she had the guards haul me into the dungeon." He scowled.

"While Korian and I were there, I heard from another prisoner that four mere teenagers from somewhere that was not Tameran were there. I wished to talk to them, because I knew that Kori was there. Komand'r had told me that much of my other sister, at least, unlike anything else. But before I could figure out a way, I was told they had escaped and liberated the Princess Koriand'r from her betrothal. I was furious. Nobody knew I was there and I was not released until well after you left.

"After that, I built a ship, and Korian helped me. We worked, bought maps, and made our way towards Earth.

"And so we have found you," he said happily. "It took a long time for us to discover what city, and what country, and where you were, but we did it. We found you." He leaned over and gave Starfire a one-armed hug. "We are a family now, Kori, you and me and Korian. We are all we have left."

She gazed at her brother levelly. "You are wrong, Ryand'r," she said softly. "I have my friends. I have the Titans as well. They are my other family."

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**Awww, how sweet! Anyways, that's chapter two!**

**A little note about the languages: At the beginning, Ryand'r was saying "Earth, right, Star? Maybe – hello?" When he was getting Korian out, he was saying "I'm sorry, Koiran, I'm sorry." Korian was saying "Who are they, Ryan?" in reference to the other Titans. If you can't tell, her language is really messed up.**

**Anyhow, I'm done now!**


	3. III

**Disclaimer: No, I do NOT own Teen Titans, and no, I do not CLAIM that I do. It would mean millions of dollars! And I'm broke.**

**Rory: Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update sooner.**

**:Counts on fingers: Four days until the next Harry Potter book comes out. Yeay. Not that you all have to care, just a reminder.**

**Anyways, reviews:**

**Starlit Moonshadow: Thanks! I am.**

**EMBER91: Hey Ems! You're back! Thanks. I try.**

**Raidersrule76: Thank you. You had the absolute most interesting review. You actually helped me in writing something more decently. Cool. And no, I can't kill them, it's a plot point. I _am_ dedicating a chapter to you, for...reasons. :Evil grin:**

**Okay, all of you, now READ!**

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"Please, bring the _Luand'r_ back to the Tower," Starfire begged. "It will be safe there, Cyborg will fix it!"

Her brother shook his head. "I am sorry, Kori," he told her sadly. "We cannot. I will come to the Tower once we have finished." Slowly, she drifted off towards her friends, and he turned back to his blue-haired cousin. "Come on, Korian," he said in her language. "Time to do this."

She eyed him with a cerulean gaze. In the same language, she replied, "You are sure you wish to? You must do the deciding now if you do no longer wish."

Ryand'r stared at the ground. His thirteen-year-old cousin was right; he could very easily do something different. "Krii," he said finally. _No_.

* * *

The man sitting at the head of the room was very displeased. His spy was late. Finally, he slipped in. "I am very sorry, your Worship, sir," he said, crouching at the man's feet. "I just could _not_ get away. You know what they are like!"

In the dim light, it was difficult to make out the slight nod the man gave. "Of course, of course," he said.

The Informant quivered. "I – I can find it," he said. "It will take a few days, possibly a week or two, but I can certainly find it."

"Good." His voice had become icy. "You must find this for me as soon as possible," he told the agent. "I know you will find the plans."

Nodding, the Informant began to tell his discoveries. "This one you seek – not the strongest of the Titans. The other ones have greater powers. We – that is, your force – would do well with one of the other Titans, Robin, perhaps."

The man shook his head. "If you remember the goal, Informant, you would remember why we need the Titan I asked for." He sounded bored.

Never a good sign. Hastily, the Informant added, "Strong in their own way, of course. Unique, naturally, as are all of them. The Titan can hit from far away or close up, hand-to-hand, as you call it. Possibly become a master, if you train her well enough."

"Train her," the man said ponderously. It seemed that his agent had come up with a good idea. "Yes, yes, that does seem to be a possibility."

The Informant nodded fervently. "Of course, there _are_ the usual barriers – "

"The other Titans," he said, cutting off the Informant.

"Y-es," he replied unevenly, cutting the word into two syllables. "But there are also – other factors. She may not trust me, you know."

To the shock of the Informant, his boss began to laugh. He was laughing so hard, the seat he sat upon quaked, threatening to drop him on the floor. Finally, he stopped. "Not _trust_ you? Of course she'll trust you! No matter how hard she tried, she would have to trust you. It's part of her very _nature_ to trust you, can't you see that?"

The Informant sat stock-still. "Yes, sir," he said slowly. He was still unsure.

"Now, run along," he said. "Go back. They'll be missing you, you know." His informant turned and scurried out of the room.

He tilted the chair back, bathing in the single light that was in the room. It glinted off his mask, casting a bit of light onto the wall. Slade was indeed satisfied with his latest plan. Of course, that bumbling new apprentice of his wasn't a grand part of the plan, but he wanted to do it. Saving him had certainly helped the megalomaniac's control over him. The Informant would do whatever Slade told him to.

Slade put the chair on all four legs and stood up. Now, all he had to do was concoct a successful plan to kidnap Starfire. What an apprentice she would be.

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**Rory: Dun-dun-DUUUUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN! No! Slade wants Star to be hisk apprentice! Oh, what shall we do? What shall we do?**

**Heh. Sorry.**

**Anyways, you see the little button? No, that goes back a chapter. Farther to the left. A little more...A little more...YEAH! That one! Review please!**


	4. IV

**Disclaimer: Not mine. I do not own this.**

**Dedication: For those who feel lost and alone.**

**Rory: Hey, guys, it's me again! Here with this pesky little story, Thicker Than Water. : oogles : Look at all the pretty typings…**

**Anyway, I hope you like the chapter.**

**THE STORY SO FAR:**

**Ryand'r and Koriand'r, Starfire's brother and cousin respectively, have appeared on Earth. They are apparently going to stay at the Tower for a while. Meanwhile, not only is Slade alive, but he wants a new apprentice: Starfire.**

**Reviews:**

**SugarWords: Thanks! Okay, I'll check them out.**

**ArcherGirl87: WOW! The BUTTON! Heh. You are just going to have to figure it out for yourself...Or you can wait to find out. Right? Sorry I couldn't update. I was frozen...GRRRRRRRRR!**

**RaidersRule76: Hey Raiders! Hahaha, you read it! Thickening, thickening...This is a great compliment from the MASTER of the Ever-Thickening Plot. S, T, or R, huh? Whaddaya mean, K? I'd like to hear your suggestions...No Bunchacrunch, sorry, but trust me, you'll like it. A lot. I'm sorry...and Chapter what, Five, I think, is going to be really short-ER. Sorry again. But hey, this one's okay. I hope.**

**EMBER91: Hi Ems! You - dislike Slade, huh. Anyways, read on! You'll see.**

**Okay, people, read on!

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**

"Wait, wait, wait," Beast Boy said. "Let me get this straight. We're calling you Darkfire," he said, pointing to Star's brother, "And you're gonna be Saffire? What the heck is a Saffire?"

The youngest one glared at him, but Ryand'r spoke first. "I thought it would be easier," he explained. "You do not call my sister by her full name, but by a short form of the translation. Why not let it be the same with Korian and me?"

Starfire, understanding a little, nodded.

"Okay, it's all set up," Robin announced, entering the room. "Titans East is on its way."

A frown crossed the newly coined Darkfire's face. "What is that?"

"Yeah, Robin, why're you bringing them to Jump City?" Beast Boy said, playing with his cat. After what happened with Silkie, the Titans decided to let Beast Boy keep pets. They would randomly wake up to find different animals at the Tower.

The leader stared at Beast Boy. "Well, isn't it obvious?" he asked. "They've got to meet Darkfire and Saffire, right? Since they have nothing to do today, they've agreed to visit. Bumblebee seemed especially anxious to come."

Darkfire was busy examining Cyborg. "Friend," he said, "Why does your face have the approximate color of a Norfar?"

Beast Boy and Starfire laughed. Cyborg was not by any means pleased. "Shut up."

"What's wrong, Cyborg?" asked Raven innocently. "You thought we didn't know about you and Bumblebee secretly dating? Well, we did."

While he proceeded to pummel Raven and Beast Boy into the sofa, Saffire delicately reached in and pulled Raven out. "It is time for the Englez ing-learn," she said. "Not is it?"

The girl nodded and took Saffire up to the roof while Cyborg chased Beast Boy. "Robin," said Starfire softly, "will you help me to make the dinner? I believe a welcome feast is in order."

He smiled at her. "Sure." The pair walked into the kitchen to cook.

That left Darkfire sitting on the couch with the cat while Cyborg chased Beast Boy (still) with a meat cleaver. He turned to the gray-and-white cat. "You are an attractive feline," he told it. "Do you groom your fur often? I remember that I had a Snorfall like you when I was a child." He picked it up and set it on his lap. "Do tell me," he said, locking its golden gaze with his red one, "this Cyborg chases the Beast Boy often?"

It stared back solemnly at him.

Darkfire sighed. "I suppose, then," he said as Beast Boy ran past, "That I shall go and find Saffire and Raven on the top of the Tower. Care to join me?" He pulled it up on his shoulder and walked off, leaving Beast Boy to defend himself against the sonic cannon.

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"_-light day afternoon morning noon night dusk evening go run jump hop walk move fly block hit – _"

He came across Raven and Saffire's practice. The half-demon's hands were on each side of Saffire's head, and both girls had their eyes closed. Raven' muttering indicated to dark what was being taught.

"- _sleep wake eat breakfast lunch dinner tower island city street building house home_ – hello, Ryand'r," Raven said, opening one eye. She glanced at him, taking her hands from Saffire's azure hair. "What, couldn't take the silence anymore?" Sarcasm was alive and well in her voice.

The boy nodded. "Does Cyborg enjoy attempting to destroy the green one?"

Raven laughed. "What, Beast Boy? Actually, they're best friends. You barely see one without the other."

Darkfire was shocked. "I wonder how the Cyborg treats his enemies."

"Much worse." She turned back to Saffire. "You want to stay and watch? We've got a lot of ground to cover."

He shook his head, his black hair swishing around his face. "I think I will go and watch the others instead," he said, walking back to the door.

After he left, Raven went inside Saffire's mind. _Your cousin,_ she mind-spoke. _What's he like, really? Is he as nice as he seems?_

The thirteen-year-old girl thought. _Yes. But I believe there's something in his past, something he hates. He never talks about it. Not to me, at least. But sometimes, when we were on the ship, he would gaze into space, and not speak. I think he was thinking of it. The dark spot in his mind._

_

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_

Darkfire had been quite afraid to go into the kitchen. Kori's cooking was lethal, at least as far as he remembered. But maybe he should. That Robin guy was in there with her…

"Dude."

He turned around, not seeing anybody, then looked down. "Hello, Beast Boy," Darkfire said. "I did not realize that you were so short."

The boy sighed. "Dude, do you want to play video games? Cy finally decided to let me live, so I figured I'd better not ask him."

"I suppose this would be good training," he said, unsure of what a video game was.

Beast Boy gave him a look. "Darkfire, my man. Video games aren't training. They're just fun."

"Fun?"

He rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Fun. You need to get out more often, pal." And with that, he dragged Darkfire into the living room to play _Teen Titans: The Video Game IV_.

A few hours later, Bumble Bee knocked on the door of the Tower. They could have just walked in, of course, but that would have been impolite. "He-llo? Anybody in there?" she called.

Robin came to answer the door. "Sorry," he said. "We're having a bit of a problem in here right now."

She raised an eyebrow. "With what?"

"DIE, YOU G'ORGO NOM SIEKLEV!" came a loud male voice from the living room.

Titans East stared. "Oh," said Bumble Bee.

Darkfire and Beast Boy were playing one-on-one battles with _Teen Titans: The Video Game IV_, and Beast Boy happened to be playing Robin while Darkfire was playing as Cyborg. The little on-screen Cyborg was proceeding to beat the living daylights out of the small Robin figure. Beast Boy, who had already used up all of the cheats he knew, was starting to sweat. Everyone else was just staring blankly at them. Beast Boy always won that game when he was Robin!

After a couple of seconds, the "GAME OVER" message appeared on screen, proclaiming Cyborg the winner. Darkfire jumped up and did what only could be assumed as a 'happy dance.'

"Astounding," Bumble Bee said.

"Amazing," said Speedy.

"Weird," Aqualad said.

"HE KILLED ME!" yelled Robin.

Darkfire looked up, apparently unaware of the audience. "Oh, hello," he said, turning quite pink across his cheeks. "It is nice to meet you. I'm Darkfire."

"Nice to meet you too. I'm Bumble Bee," said the girl slowly, holding out a hand. Dark stared at it oddly. After a minute, she allowed her hand to drop. "So. You're the new guy, eh?"

He nodded. Looking down at her, he grinned. "Would you like me to find Saffire for you? I believe she is still learning English with Raven."

The other Titans exchanged looks. "Um, sure," said Speedy slowly.

"Okay." He smiled politely and bolted through the nearest door.

Bumble Bee looked at Robin. "That guy is really weird," she informed him.

As if he didn't already know.

Saffire was not pleased to be grabbed by her cousin and basically tossed in front of people she didn't even know. "I will murder you, Ryan," she muttered under her breath in her language. Then she turned her attention to the strange people before her. "Good – day. Yes. Name of me is Saffire. Name of you what?"

_This is going to be a long day,_ Bumble Bee thought.

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**Rory: That was fun. Longish, shortish, I don't know. Please review and tell me what you think?**

**Also, tell me what you think of Darkfire and Saffire. Are the names okay? And are the characters realistic? I'd like to know.**

**Till next time!**


	5. V

**Disclaimer: Let me list the many things I do not own in this chapter: Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven, Anything Related To Teen Titans, Subway, Hot Topic, Umbrellas, Cars, The T-Car, Bumble Bee, Aqualad, Speedy, Mas y Menos, Darkfire/Ryand'r, Fifth Third Bank, Fifth Third Field, the Mudhens, Baseball In General, or Simple Plan. I suppose that I own Saffire, since I made her up, but since she's technically under the classification of Anything Related To Teen Titans, I don't think she does. Okay. That is all.**

**Dedication: To my dear Sirius and James. (They know who they are.)**

**Rory: Hi all! Glad to see you back! This is chapter five of Thicker Than Water, in case you can't read the title. This is going to be one of the more…interesting chapters.**

**Reviews:**

**Due to a rather senseless rule imposed upon us, I cannot answer reviews. : sniff : However, I can still thank _ArcherGirl87, EMBER91, _and _Raidersrule76_ for reviewing me. Thank you guys!

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**

In a dark room somewhere in the depths of Jump City, a man sat, waiting for the right moment to press the Button. He had to wait for the clock to slowly…tick…to…ten…

Nine fifty-seven. Nine fifty-eight. Nine fifty-nine.

Ten.

Cackling, he pressed the shiny red button of the device. "Oh, Titans," he said softly. "Here is your due."

"BEAST BOY!"

The entire population of Titans Tower was standing outside the small green kid's room, waiting for some sort of explanation. Bumble Bee had found her stingers bent. Cyborg's tool set had bird dung in the gears. Raven's books had teeth marks, and Starfire's food cache was eaten, and not by her. Robin and Speedy had one mask left because the others were chewed up, and Aqualad was missing his fish sticks. Mas y Menos were jabbering about something indiscernible, and Darkfire was the only one not out for BB's life. Cyborg tried again. "Beast Boy, we know you're in there, and we know it's your stupid animals that messed with our stuff!"

"Animals aren't stupid," he yelled back through the metal door.

Robin shook his head. "Fine," he growled. "Beast Boy, you have to come out. We know you like to sleep until eleven, but is it really so hard to get up an hour early?"

"Dude, you're tryin' to kill me!"

"No, really?" Raven asked, eyes glowing white.

They were on the verge of massacring the poor guy when the alarm started beeping.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEE – _

Then it stopped.

They looked at each other. "What on Earth – " Bumble Bee began, only to be cut off by a loud crash.

"NO! I just repaired those windows yesterday!" Cyborg moaned. The troupe rushed to the living room, where the huge window had been busted in.

A set of ninja robots stood in the broken glass. They were black, with orange ovals where the eyes and nose were supposed to be. A white S was slashed on a badge over their "hearts."

Slade.

"Titans, GO!" Robin yelled.

They sprang into action. Whirling and twisting, Robin disabled several with some decent kicks, while Raven used one to crash into the others. Bumble Bee and Cyborg worked quickly, covering each other's blind spots and Speedy pierced three with one shot.

One of the robots was slowly advancing on Saffire, who backed away, unsure of what it could do to her. Furiously, she lashed out and crushed one's "head."

Finally, Starfire blasted through one that was about to crush Robin when another leapt on her back, dragging her down to the ground and pressing a thin knife to her throat. The others made a move to help her, but Darkfire slammed his hand down on its back before anyone could get closer.

It seemed as though the hand did nothing, but the robot stopped, and, as it seemed, so did time. Slowly, the metal began to hiss and steam, and vapors raised around his hand. The boy's eyes were glowing red, a bright scarlet, the same color as Raven's eyes when she became a demon. "You will not hurt my sister," he said slowly and forcefully, pressing harder into its "skin." Then, he jerked back, tearing the insides of the robot out. It sparked and flashed, then died before them.

Everyone just stared at him. He breathed slowly, eyes gradually returning to the crystal-like ruby. "Are you all right?" he asked Starfire, unaware of the eyes of the other Titans on him.

She was rubbing her neck, and a thin trickle of something dark ran down her wrist. "I am fine," she said defensively. "I have done this for a long time, Darkfire. I would have done it myself."

He nodded, then noticed the slick green wetness on her arm. "You're bleeding," he said, concerned.

Starfire turned away and walked towards Robin. "I am fine."

The others moved away, taking her to the Medical Room. Darkfire stared sadly at the ground. "Ko, Kori, vwerg sna komo," he whispered. _No, Star, you are not.

* * *

_

**Rory: Bergh. Toooooooo short. To make it up to you, the next one will be really long. And soon. So don't forget to come back! While you wait, why don't you…review?**


	6. VI

**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Teen Titans, what makes you think that?**

**Rory: Hi! Sorry about the last chapter…Toldja t would be weird. I just didn't tell you how short.

* * *

**

It was very crowded in the Med Room, which was holding ten people when it was built to hold only five. Raven slipped away without being noticed and wen to go find Darkfire.

She found him sitting at the edge of the water, staring out across the ocean. Beast Boy was next to him, telling him something.

"Dude, don't worry about Robin," he said wisely. "That guy can be as cold as stone, but you know he'll always be there to save the day. And don't be so hard on everyone else, too. They just don't really trust you yet. Especially Raven. She doesn't trust people so easily."

The boy shook his head. "It is not her who was angry with me for saving her," he said softly. "My sister dislikes me. I wounded her pride."

Beast Boy shrugged. "Star'll get over it," he said. "Trust me."

"She is not the only one," Darkfire insisted. "Robin dislikes me for no reason, and I believe that the one you call Bumble Bee thinks I am – I think the word is 'deranged,' or the like. What have I done? Did I offend anyone?"

"No, you didn't," Raven said, drifting over to sit on the other side of him. "They just – don't really like you for some reason. And Bumble Bee thinks you're crazy because of how you acted over the video game."

He blushed a bit. "Well – I did not mean – "

"It's okay, dude," Beast Boy interrupted. "They hated me for _weeks_ because I replaced all the food in the Tower with tofu."

Raven raised her eyebrows. "Cyborg nearly choked to death on his cereal," she pointed out.

"That's not the point," he replied touchily. "The point is that they eventually forgave me, right? So don't worry, Darkfire, they'll quit bein' so cold to you eventually."

The Tamaranian shook his head. "That word, 'eventually'," he said. "It means 'indefinitely'. And I do not wish to live with the 'shoulder of cold' from my own sister."

* * *

"Excuse me?"

Darkfire looked up from the roof of the Tower to find Robin standing before him. "Hello," he said cautiously.

Robin smiled, a bit forcibly. "The other Titans and I wanted to see what you could do," he said. Darkfire shot him a questioning look. "Well, if you want to be a Titan, we should at least understand your powers, right?"

There was a long silence.

"Um, Darkfire?"

The other boy had a blank look on his face. "You wish…for me to stay?"

"Starfire insists," he admitted.

He nodded. "Then I will show you what I know I can do," he said, standing.

Together, the two walked down to the practice arena. The other Titans were there: Starfire, Raven, and Beast Boy were working the control panels, while Aqualad stood near the ocean's border, keeping it in check. Mas y Menos were bouncing around in the safe area, and Speedy was setting the targets. Saffire stood alone at the beginning of the challenge, tugging at her skirt nervously. "Go stand over there," Robin said, pointing to her. "I'll go start it soon, okay?" He turned without waiting for an answer.

Darkfire stood by his cousin, giving her a gentle look with a clear meaning. _I won't let you get hurt._

"Get ready," Robin called, and hit the button.

Saffire shrieked as two columns of dirt rose beneath her and Darkfire. She dropped to her stomach, holding on to the column for dear life. Darkfire flew off it, hovering in the air between the columns. His eyes glowed red.

Metal balls began shooting at them. He punched them away, sending them harmlessly to the ground, and flew on, watching Saffire. To the surprise of the Titans, she didn't fly off it – she slid down it. About five feet from the ground, she hopped off and started to run. The pair moved towards the end, dodging and tumbling to avoid the balls. Then, sonic blasts shot at them. Darkfire blasted the guns from their posts.

"Korian," he called down. "Are you all right?"

She nodded, huffing. Satisfied, Darkfire looked up – straight into an oncoming beam of light. With a shocked yell, he fell to the ground.

Obvious even to the far-off Titans, he could hardly move from the pain of the beam. Saffire knelt to help him as another hot beam aimed at them, and this time it wasn't alone. Five other beams took sight along with it. She stared up into it, shocked.

Beast Boy was figuring something out. If those beams nearly paralyzed Darkfire, a full-grown, tough Tamaranian, and Saffire was only thirteen and half-blooded Tamaranian…"Saffire! LOOK OUT!"

A huge flash of light exploded from the course. The Titans threw up their arms, shielding their faces from the intense light. "No…" Starfire muttered, staring down at the arena.

To their shock, a deep azure bubble glowed from the dust of the arena. Saffire stood in the center, looking very strained. Something pale, bright blue hovered just inside the bubble, trembling. Slowly, Robin realized – it was the beams that had tried to hit her.

With obvious force, Saffire pushed her arms out, hard. The light flew forward, now covered in what seemed to be a cerulean gel, and exploded before the machines. They were destroyed.

Rubbing sweat form her eyes, Saffire picked up her cousin and carried him on her back, staggering to the finish. He seemed to be able to move a little and blasted anything that came towards them, then started to fly, carrying the girl under him. They hit the final targets, and Darkfire threw her to hit the final button.

_Bing._

The devices stopped, and Darkfire set down on the ground. "Good job, Saffire," he said quietly, grinning at his cousin. She smiled back wearily.

They turned to the other Titans, and their smiles faded. Everyone was staring at them. Saff moved instinctively towards Darkfire, who put a brotherly arm around her.

Finally, Robin spoke. "That was…amazing," he said, as though too dazed to speak. "I've never seen anything like it. Ever. Saffire, the way you shielded your cousin…It was so powerful. Where did you learn how to do that?"

She gazed at him. "Father," she said simply, leaning into Darkfire.

"Robin," said Raven, "Why did those beams hurt him so badly?"

Beast Boy stared at him with a suspicious gaze. "I've never seen those before, Robin, they have to be new. And I practiced here with Cy last night. Did you put them in today?"

He turned red, embarrassed. "Um, well, yeah," he said lamely.

Starfire landed beside him. "Did you not know how hurtful they were?" she asked inquisitively.

"Those were Kertho beams, I think," Raven said slowly. "Speedy uses Kertho in his arrows."

The archer nodded. "You have to use a certain dilution of it to freeze your opponent for a few minures," he said. "If you use too much of the concentration, or get hit too many times, the paralyzation lasts longer, maybe even permanent."

Raven appeared next to Robin. "You knew that, didn't you?" she asked very quietly.

"Well, I took all the necessary precautions – " he began.

Darkfire was suddenly in front of him. "You shot paralyzing beams at us," he said dangerously. "You shot Kertho beams at a _thirteen-year-old girl_?"

Robin swallowed. "It was part of the training," he said.

"You could have killed her!" Darkfire yelled in his face.

"NO!"

They turned. Starfire stood a little ways away from the group. "Robin would _never_ do anything that could kill our friends!" she cried. "He is a good person! You were safe the whole time!" She turned around and flew into the Tower.

Red eyes narrowed as they drilled into Robin's gaze. "I do not believe you," Darkfire said simply. With that, he floated over to Saffire and picked her up. "Come, Saffire," he said. "I do not think you should do this 'training' anymore. Not if Robin is in charge."

* * *

After that, Darkfire and Saffire disappeared from the Tower. Nobody could find them, and when Cyborg came back, he was horrified.

"Kertho beams? What in the world possessed him to do that!" he yelled at Raven.

The girl sighed. "I don't know," she said. "But he did it."

Raven, Cyborg, and Beast Boy were sitting in the front hall. The two smaller Titans were explaining the rather disastrous training events to their friend.

Beast Boy piped up. "He just put 'em in this morning, too," he informed Cyborg. "I think he did it just for those two to practice on. He's out there practicing with it now, but he took a couple out because Raven and Speedy told him to."

Cyborg shook his head. "So what does Starfire think about Robin almost disabling her family?"

"She won't believe Robin did it on purpose," Raven said darkly. "You know she won't think anything bad of Robin unless he really, really proves it." She sighed. "Darkfire took Saffire and he didn't come back. I think we should go look for them."

"Yeah," said Beast Boy, rubbing his cat's ears. "Darkfire already thinks the other Titans hate him. We need to find them before someone else does. Like the HIVE or something."

Nodding, Cyborg stood. "Well, we'd best get going now," he said. "I'll take the T-car. You two travel together. They can't have gone too far, right? I bet they just went to the nearest mall or something. But you're right, BB, we have to find them." He started to walk to the garage, then stopped. "If Robin asks, we're going toget some dinner."

They nodded and took to the sky.

* * *

Indeed, Darkfire and Saffire were not where Cyborg or the others suspected. They were sitting in Jump City's biggest library with a child's picture book.

"All the dogs in Oatsdale were searching for him," Darkfire was saying, pointing out each word to Saffire.

She sighed. In her own language, she asked, "Ryand'r, why now? Can't we go back to the Tower to at least tell Raven good-bye?"

He smiled sadly at her. "I know you admired her, Korian, but we can't go," he told her. "They – don't want us there."

"Oh." Her eyes were downcast, and she concentrated on the book. After a moment, she paused. "Are you sure? Do you not even want to say good-bye to the Boy-Beast? He was your friend. He was kind to me too. I think he wanted us there."

Darkfire nodded. "I suppose so," he said. "But he's the only one."

"You cannot be sure," Saffire said. "Raven was kind to me too. And I did not know my namesake cousin for very long, but you say she is kind and loving, too."

The boy laughed derisively. "Some sister," he said venomously. "She believed that little – grr."

Saffire frowned at him. "Robin is a 'grr' like a – a _dog_?" she said in English. Darkfire snickered quietly, and she grinned. "I am ing-think it is right that we left them," she said, continuing in English, "If they not'did wish to keep us. But I really dothink the Boy-Beast and Raven wanted to be our friends."

"You're right, Saffire."

The two aliens turned to see Raven standing behind them, arms folded over her chest. "We do want to be your friends." She realized this was true. In the short time she'd known the girl, Raven had become very attached to Saffire. Almost like a younger sister, or a child she was responsible for. "Beast Boy and I were looking for you for the last hour and a half. Cyborg was, too. We want you to come back."

Darkfire glared at her. "We do not need to stay anywhere _near_ Robin," he hissed. "I swore to Korian's mother that I would keep her safe."

Raven sighed. "Being a Titan is _about_ keeping people safe," she said. "It's about putting yourself in danger to save the lives of others. And Robin understands that more than anyone. He knows that you have to risk your life. He thinks that training should be risky, too, which it why he put you in danger."

"Yeah," said Beast Boy, appearing at her side. "He didn't mean to insult you, I guess. He _did_ take some of the beams out, so you'll be safe. And we risk our lives a lot, I guess."

The other boy smiled wryly. "You guess very much, do you not, Beast Boy?" he asked.

"Yup," he replied cheerfully.

Saffire gazed at her older cousin, a look much like that of a child begging to get a puppy. He sighed. Oh, the ragtor-mat eyes. He never could resist. "I suppose we can return to the Tower," he said slowly.

She leapt into the air. "Oh, joy!"

"Shhhhh!" the librarian hissed.

Saffire looked flushed, but she was still very happy. "Oh, joy," she whispered. The others laughed quietly at her and walked out of the library.

* * *

"Dude! You found them!" Cyborg said happily. His face grinned through Beast Boy's communicator.

The green teen smiled. "Yeah," he said. "I'm glad they decided to come back with us. Darkfire was kinda hard to convince."

The four teens were walking down a street on the East Side of Jump City. Raven, in some strange, demented good mood, had bought everyone iced coffee, and they drank it while they walked. Saffire in particular was shining as though she were the very sun itself. Darkfire seemed glad to be away from the noise of the Tower, and away from Robin. Beast Boy was getting hyped up on the sugar.

"Well, they're back, and that's all that matters," Cyborg said. "I'll come pick you guys up in a coupla minutes. I'm just a little north of you." The small screen went blank.

Beast Boy grinned up at the others. "He said he's coming," he informed them.

Darkfire smiled back. "Good," he said. "I like Cyborg, although he does try to murder his close friends."

The two girls giggled. Raven covered her mouth with her hand quickly. Beast Boy looked at her suspiciously. "What did you do, Rae?" he asked.

"Nothing," she said. But the girls kept laughing, even when the T-car pulled up and they were nearly back at Titans Tower.

"I really don't get girls," Beast Boy said, staring after them.

"I do not understand them, either," Darkfire said, equally dazed.

* * *

**Rory: Well? How'd you like it?**

**That was definitely a chapter I was happy to type, even though it IS ten thirty at night now. I thought it gave Robin character. Rude, careless character, but still. I really DO think that Robin would put dangerous devices into a training field, just to push himself and others harder. He seems to be like that.**

**Anyways, I wanted to explain why he did that. I'm sure a couple of Robin fans are passed-out before their computers. And a couple of Robin haters are saying something along the lines of, "I _knew_ he was heartless!"**

**I also need to explain something else. The book that Darkfire and Saffire were reading from is called 'Sylvester and the Magic Pebble,' by William Steig. It's a weird picture book. And I don't own it.**

**Also, if you want to know where Bumble Bee and Cyborg were during Darkfire and Saff's test, I suggest you read my other story called Oh, Brother. Actually, I suggest you read it anyways. It's a short two-chapter story about those two. You have to read that before the next chapter. If you don't read it, you won't understand some of the stuff that's happening in there.**

**So…reviews please? Tell me if you love/hate Robin in this chapter? And what did you think of Raven and Beast Boy? I NEED TO KNOW! Click that little button down there! Please?**


	7. VII

**Disclaimer: **

**Saffire: or fourthelement not'does own the Titans-Teen' s-character' even Ryand'r. Not'does she either claim it. not'does she want it. but is-that a lie. Fourthelement would enjoy ing-own the Titans-Teen.**

**Rory: Heh heh heh heh heh – okay, Saff, you're done.**

**Saffire: but I not-have I ed-explain the plot of Titans-Teen' if you did own. I wish to tell them of the death of the – **

**Rory: THAT'S QUITE ENOUGH SAFF!**

**Saffire: Oh. Right- -all. Enjoy.**

**NOTES**

**Rory: Grr. I'm writing this on a weekend off school. Dang, I'm tired. Lots of school…I'm seeing little pens and pencils dancing about before my eyes…Man, I need some good fics to read! Maybe Queenie or RR76 will update soon.**

**Anyways, this is the seventh chapter of Thicker Than Water. Just halfway done. (There'll be fourteen or fifteen chapters, depending.)**

**Raia: Yes, it's all well and good. In this chapter, more drama affects the Titans.**

**Rory: Uh, where'd you come from!**

**Raia: Your head.**

**Rory: Well, you aren't supposed to be here! Get lost!**

**Raia: Fine. : pwof :**

**Rory: sigh : Anyhow. Read on.**

**Reviews:

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**

"It seems you have failed me," Slade told his kneeling servant.

The Informant trembled. "I – I'm sorry, sir, I-I-I know I made a mistake somewhere."

"Somewhere!" he said incredulously. "Because of your shortcomings, I lost my apprentice!"

"I'm sorry," the Informant said once more. The teen knelt before Slade, forehead pressed to the floor. Dirt was an uncomfortable thing to stare at. "I'll do better this time.

Slade snorted. "Good," he said. "I cannot afford to have errant servants."

"Yes, Slade."

He stood and pulled up a holographic image on the screen that sat by his chair. "This – new entity presents us quite a problem, Informant," he said, considering the semblance presented upon the screen. "If others think to use Kertho beams, your weakness could cost you the battle."

The Informant nodded. The Kertho was extremely…unpleasant.

"Your other weaknesses will be taken into consideration as well," Slade continued.

Heat started to rise in the teen's face. "O-other weaknesses?"

"Yes," he said smoothly. "The ones considering certain team members."

Again, a blush crept into the Informant's face. "I – I don't understand what you mean."

"Of course you do," Slade said. "If you didn't…your face wouldn't be that lovely color." He laughed. "Don't pretend. I know you have feelings for one of the Titans."

"I – I don't! I would never…" The teen trailed off, then sighed, looking up at Slade. "Just don't kill them in the battle," the Informant said sadly.

Behind the mask, Slade smiled ruthlessly. "I would never do that," he said in a comforting voice.

The Informant was not convinced.

* * *

"Where were you guys?" Robin asked as Cyborg, Beast Boy, and Raven entered the living room.

The three exchanged glances. "Out for dinner," Raven said. The boys nodded.

Robin looked at his friends' faces. Somehow that just didn't seem right…but when those three were together, nothing seemed quite right. He recalled that time that they disappeared into Raven's room and came out with those strange, secret looks on their faces. Another time, they all ended up in the basement of the Tower covered in "red paint" and they found that their latest enemy had vanished into thin air overnight. The teen shook his head and decided to ignore it.

"Where did you go?" asked Starfire.

Beast Boy spoke up before the other two could answer. "I made them go to Tofu World with me," he said. "That's why Cy looks kinda green."

Indeed, Cyborg had some sort of strange, dead-looking tinge around what was left of his skin.

Starfire nodded. Then, she looked sad. "Did you find the Darkfire and Saffire?" she asked quietly. "I believe I said some very unkind things to them, and to my brother particularly. I hope he will forgive me," she said worriedly.

Raven bit back a sigh of relief. _This_ was the Starfire she knew. "Yeah," she said. "They were kinda wandering around downtown."

"We brought 'em back and put them in a couple'a rooms," Beast Boy told the worried Tamaranian. "Darkfire said he wanted to sleep. And I have _no_ idea what Saffire said. Dude, she seriously can't talk English."

"Neither can you," Raven retorted.

Starfire smiled. "Thank you, friends. I think I will talk to my brother tomorrow."

For a while, the Titans just did their normal evening activities. Raven read an old book while curled up on the couch; Starfire wrote in a Tamaranian version of a diary; Cyborg read about the latest car jets; Robin played _Teen Titans: The Video Game IV_ in a fervent attempt to master the use of himself; Beast Boy sat on the floor, playing with his current pets, a gray cat and a pair of golden retriever puppies.

This was Starfire's favorite part of living with her roommates, this quiet together time. And that's what she told her journal.

I am so glad we have this time together. No one speaks to each other. We hardly acknowledge each other. But it always feels so perfect.

She sighed. She truly loved this time. So nice and quiet, just writing in her lempharg, listening to the cat purr, hearing the faint sounds of video-Robin's dying cries in the background. Such peacefulness she could never have on her war-racked planet, serenity she could hardly ever find on the streets of Jump City while she did her job. Such calm.

They stayed that way until they heard a huge crash. Then, they all ran down the stairs and skidded into the main floor.

The door had been busted down, and the Slade robots had returned.

Cyborg moaned. "I just fixed that _door_ last week!"

Robin hit a button on his communicator. "Titans," he said, "the main floor! Hurry!" He then snapped it shut, hoping he'd reached Titans East, and hit the nearest robot with a roundhouse kick.

"Titans – GO!"

Starfire flew towards a robot, arm cocked with a starbolt gathering in her palm. Robin destroyed it with a birdarang. "Starfire, no!" he yelled. "Remember the last time?"

She did, but she wouldn't let that stop her! The girl threw a huge blast at a robot about to hit Cyborg. "I can fight," she told Robin with a steely look.

"That's great," said Raven, "Now could you two, oh, I don't know, _help me save Beast Boy!_"

The teenage transformer had been gutting robots as a rhino when a majority of the computerized things had jumped on him, pinning him down with electrified bands. Every time he touched one, a zapping noise made the other Titans flinch. Finally, his violent struggles ceased.

Raven's eyes glowed, infuriated. Cyborg took a shot at them, but one threw a magnet on his back. He stopped in his tracks, covering his ears with his arms. "Auuuuuuugggghhhh!"

Robin cursed. "Where the hell is Titans East?" He whipped out his Bo staff, twirling it and whacking down the evil robots. They converged on him, breaking the staff. A horrified look came across his face. His trusty Bo staff had never been broken before! _Slade upgraded his bots,_ he thought grimly, whipping out the birdarangs.

Starfire and Raven worked on the fifty or so remaining robots, exploding and imploding the stupid things. Four shot at Raven with some sort of large bullets, and she was caught in a huge wad of what seemed to be purple bubble gum. The empathic struggled for a few seconds before becoming engulfed.

"RAVEN!" Robin yelled. **(Sound familiar?)**

He and Starfire were the only able-bodied Titans left. Robin pulled out his communicator. "Hey, someone! Bumble Bee! Speedy! Aqualad! Someone help!"

"They can't hear you," came a voice from behind him. Before the boy could turn around, someone punched him in the back of the head, and everything faded to black.

Starfire heard her boyfriend's cry and whipped around. She saw him fall. "NO!" she screamed, flying to catch him. Robots closed in upon her, but she punched and exploded her way to reach Robin. After a few moments, she reached him, and picked him up. The other Titans were knocked out. Titans east wasn't there. Robin – strong Robin, who never allowed himself to fail – was gone. She yelled in fury, destroying a huge amount of robots. Once they were destroyed, she knelt with her friend in her lap and went back to her Tamaranian first aid on Robin.

"It's no use," said a disembodied voice.

The girl whipped around. The figure was standing in the shadow. It could have been a tall person slouching, or a short person on tiptoe. The person could be a well-built male or a nearly completely flat female. Even its voice was cleverly disguised with a scrambler. "You're alone, Star," it said quietly. "They abandoned you, didn't they? But if you come with me, I'll help you save your friends."

The figure tossed out a package. Starfire picked it up, holding Robin in one hand and the package in the other. It held a black and orange suit. On the very top was an orange and black "S" crest. Slade's crest. "Join Slade," the figure said, "And I'll tell you how to remove the magnet from Cyborg safely. And take the bonds off Beast Boy without frying his brain. And toss this chemical powder on Raven to get her out of the goop so she can breath." The figure chuckled. "I also could toss in the keys to Bumble Bee's smoky cage, and the device to puncture Speedy's inflated prison." It held up a box. "The way out of the Chinese torture device that holds Mas y Menos captive. A cure for Aqualad's Ever-sleep."

She narrowed her eyes. "Join Slade, you say," Starfire said quietly. The figure nodded – or at least seemed to. Starfire shook her head. "Never," she said simply, then shot at the figure with her eyes.

The person dodged it. "I'm sorry," it said. "Then, I'll just leave you to save your friends…" The figure began to walk away, then stopped and turned back around. It tossed something to Starfire, who flinched and shielded herself from it.

"That'll save Beast Boy," it said quietly. "You can use that to disable the current. Good luck, Starfire." Then the figure disappeared into the night.

The girl stared after it. "That was – unreal," she said softly. Then, she snapped back to attention and grabbed the device from the ground, then ran to her friend.

Carefully, she pressed the single button on the thing. A thin wire moved out, and a claw gripped the slightly sparking wire. It sizzled and snapped, unbinding the weakened morphic. He moaned and sat up, rubbing his head. "What – huh?" His emerald eyes met Starfire's neon ones. "Wh – what happened?" His gaze swept over the battlefield: Cyborg twitching on the ground, Raven being slowly consumed by a gigantic hunk of chewing gum, Robin knocked out on the floor. "Oh, God," he muttered.

Starfire nodded sadly. "I – I do not know how to save them," she said tearfully. She then began to cry.

Beast Boy looked mortified. He patted her awkwardly on the head. "Uh – don't worry, Star, we'll fix this."

He went to Cyborg and examined the magnet, rubbing his head. "Be careful," Starfire told him. "If you do not remove it correctly, friend Cyborg may not be right in the head."

The green teen shrugged, then snapped open Cy's arm compartment. Pulling out a pair of pliers and tweezers, he went to work. Slowly, he opened a hatch on the magnet. "Good thing this is an electromagnet," he told Starfire. "If it wasn't, we'd be screwed." He peered in and, finding what he wanted, yanked something out.

Cyborg's huge frame shuddered, gave one final twitch, and relaxed. Beast Boy straightened up, dusting off his hands. "That should do it."

Starfire gazed on in amazement. "How did you know what to do?"

"Eighth grade science fair project," he said simply. Then he looked up at Raven. "Jesus-Mary-and-Joseph!" he yelled. "She – she's suffocating!"

Indeed, Raven was using up the last room to breathe in. Her pale face was sticking out of the puffy stuff, and a slight gasping noise ensued. The two teens ran over.

"Uhhhhhh," Beast Boy said. He felt responsible at the moment. Their leader knocked out, their second-in-command nearly dead from a magnet, and the only other qualified leader suffocating in a gummy thing, the two remaining Titans were hardly the top choices of 'Titans You Can Trust To Save The Day.' With Starfire in her grieving state, Beast Boy was the only one left. "Star. Try zapping it."

She nodded and scrunched her face up, conjuring a faint green glow to her hand. Starfire slammed said hand into the goop. An arid smell rose into the air, but it just looked a bit melted.

Now Beast Boy started to panic. The stupid stuff puffed up, ever slowly, covering her forehead and the sides of her face. He suddenly figured out a way to help her breathe, but practically cowered in fear. "Uh, Star," he said nervously, "I think I know how I can help Rae."

"You do? Joyous!" she cried. "What is it? Go on, do it! Anything to save our friend!"

He swallowed. "Uh – okay. But _never_ tell anyone about this!" Praying that he would live to hear her thanking him as opposed to killing him, he spread the stuff away from her face and placed his mouth over hers, gently breathing into her mouth to inflate her lungs. After two breaths, the girl started to shift under the gummy material, and, as though realizing what was saving her, she started to breathe in from his mouth very deeply.

Starfire watched this exchange with great interest. After a moment, she suddenly realized something, and licked the goop. "This substance is merely poorly-made shmorgel-koff from my home planet!" she squealed. "I know how to save friend Raven!" She ran off, returning with a bottle of ketchup from the kitchen. From his place, covered in the gum, Beast Boy raised his eyebrows.

The Tamaranian just squirted the stuff on the goop that held Raven captive. It bubbled and frothed with a nasty hissing noise, and Beast Boy caught the girl as her weight basically dropped on him. Carefully, he set her on the floor next to Cyborg. "Good job, Star," he said happily. "Now we'd better find the other Titans!"

She nodded resolutely then grabbed his hand, dragging him up the stairs to the hall of where the others had been sleeping.

They found a huge inflated thing first, like a giant cube with a balloon-ish quality to it. Beast Boy turned into a shark and ripped it to shreds. Speedy fell out, unconscious.

Next, they tried to open Bumble Bee's room, but it wouldn't open, even when Beast Boy slammed against it with the strength of an elephant, then a dinosaur. Starfire tried to yank it open, but even her inhuman strength couldn't tear it apart.

"What do we do?" she asked fearfully.

"Dunno," said Beast Boy, "But where's Darkfire and Saffire?"

Starfire's green eyes flew open when she realized that the mysterious figure had never mentioned her brother and cousin. "Where were they?" she cried desperately.

Beast Boy took her down to the rooms he and Raven had put them in. Saffire's was empty. Eyes fearfully, Starfire broke the door of her brother's room open.

He lay on the lower bunk of the bed, sleeping. Her younger cousin was curled up on top, holding a book. Starfire nearly collapsed in relief. She shook her brother by the shoulder. Darkfire sat up slowly, as though dizzy. "Huh – wh – Kori?" he said groggily, opening his eyes. "Starfire, what is wrong?"

She swallowed. Beast Boy noticed desperation in her face he'd never seen before. "There has been an attack," she said. "An attack – on the Tower."

The boy jumped. "What? Wh – Saff!" he yelled.

Korian jumped, falling off the bed into his outstretched arms. "Ry – Darkfire?" she stammered.

"Tell me what happened," Darkfire said. "Who was it, and why is Beast Boy the only one with you?"

The green teen spoke up. "It was Slade again," he said. "That guy that attacked us last time. He keeps sendin' those robots to squish us. And everyone else is – unconscious. They were winning, I think."

Starfire nodded. "They trapped friend Beast Boy in the electric chains, and put a magnet on friend Cyborg, and caught Raven in that of the yucky shmorgel-koff." A single, green-tinted tear dripped down her face. "They – they hit Robin. He is the unconscious as well."

A strange look crossed Darkfire's face. "Okay. I will help you help the others."

Saffire gazed up at Star. "is-where the East-Titans?" she asked.

"They – are caught as well," she replied hesitantly. Then, her face lit up with inspiration. "We must go! If we all try at once, perhaps we can tear open the door of friend Bumble Bee!"

Beast Boy followed silently as Starfire led her brother to the door they needed. He set Saffire down and stood next to his sister, examining the door with his hand covering his mouth, frowning in thought. Finally, he nodded, and the three took hold of the same edge: Darkfire on top, Starfire in the center, and Saffire on the bottom. In a moment, Beast Boy could hear a huge ripping noise, and then a hissing sound as a huge vent-like structure was made, letting out billows of thick gray smoke. They covered their faces as it stung at their lungs and noses.

After a minute or so, Starfire punched the remainder of the door up, denting it sufficiently so she could run into the room. Darkfire followed her, and Beast Boy grabbed Saffire's arm. She had a sad, strange look on her face as she stared into the smoke. Then, Starfire emerged, carrying an unconscious Bumble Bee, with her brother following, also carrying a boy in black and yellow stripes.

Starfire and Beast Boy exchanged looks as he helped her set Bumble Bee on the floor. She stirred, then opened her eyes blearily. "A-a-ah," she stammered, eyes flicking back and forth nervously. Then she snapped into a sitting position. "Quick! We've gotta tell Cyborg! Slade just attacked us!"

At the sad looks on her friends' faces, Bumble Bee took a deep breath. "He – got you guys, didn't he." It was more of a statement than a question. She sighed. "I can't believe I failed," she whispered.

"You didn't fail," Beast Boy told her. "Now – we'd better get everyone else into the Med Room."

Quietly, Starfire, Beast Boy, and Bumble Bee made their way to help the other Titans.

* * *

**Okay, this next part is more of an extra thing. Just a little short that explains a bit of background for the next chapter, so it flows better.

* * *

**

Darkfire set the boy down on an Earth contraption called a 'sofa' so he could help him. The boy had a fierce, angry look on his face. Sighing, Darkfire found the oxygen and placed the mask over the teenager's face.

Large brown eyes flicked open, and the guy turned to stare at Darkfire. He smiled. "I need you to breathe in," he said. "And – out. Like that. In. Out. Good." He was suddenly incredibly appreciative of the Tamaranian war. At least he knew how to care for various injuries, including smoke inhalation. He continued to help the boy to breathe until the teen finally ripped the mask of and sat up.

Darkfire grinned at him. "Feel better?"

"Yeah." He rubbed his head. "Uh – where am I?"

He gave the teen an odd look. "Titans Tower." Then something occurred to him. "Oh, I am very sorry, I am so rude. I have not introduced myself. My name is Darkfire."

The teen nodded. "Alan – uh – I mean – call me Wasp," he said finally. "I'm Bumble Bee's brother."

"Oh," said Darkfire. "It makes much sense now. I am Starfire's brother."

Wasp gave him a funny look. "You kinda look like her," he informed the Tamaranian.

"I know," he said pleasantly.

It was quiet for a moment.

"Well," said Wasp, "I guess we'd better find the other Titans."

Darkfire nodded. "Yes. And, Wasp," he said as the other teen was walking from the room, "I think we will get along quite well."

* * *

**A/n: Dang, that chapter was long…**

**So. How did you like it? Please send me a review and tell me!**


	8. VIII

**Disclaimer:**

**Raven: Thankfully, this freak of nature doesn't own us.**

**Rory: holds BB on a leash :**

**Raven: I _said_, thankfully, this freak of nature doesn't own us!**

**Rory: Darn it, she noticed: drops leash :**

**BB: THANK YOU SO MUCH RAVEN: hugs Raven :**

**Raven: What did I tell you about hugging?**

**NOTES**

**Rory: Okay. Anyway. Welcome to Thicker Than Water part eight. Oooooh. This will be FUN.**

**REVIEWS

* * *

**

Beep…beep…beep…

Starfire gazed sadly at the beeping heart monitor in the Med Room of the Tower. With the help of her three friends, she had managed to get all the Titans released and into the care center. None of them were looking good. Robin had a concussion. Bumble Bee wore an oxygen mask and was currently helping Cyborg reprogram himself. Beast Boy was helping Mas y Menos rub ointment on their wounds. Starfire had been left to care for Raven, who was having trouble healing. Even with Beast Boy's help to breathe, the girl still had been lacking oxygen to her brain, and Starfire was the only one who had qualification to help her.

How she wished Robin was awake! He could do anything. But the concussion had him out cold in the next bed.

"Why has Slade done this to us?" she whispered sadly, watching the spike of Raven's heartbeat slowly recede. Her eyes widened. Swallowing, Starfire took the oxygen tank and held the mask to her friend's face.

Raven shifted restlessly, then relaxed. The heartbeat began to thud again.

The Tamaranian let out a deep breath, relieved. She looked up when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Beast Boy was smiling down at her wearily. "Want a break?" he asked.

She nodded and moved to sit on Robin's bed. Her small green friend pulled across the curtain, and Starfire was thankful for the privacy. She rubbed Robin's hand, a tear forming in her eye. "I do not understand, Robin," she said softly. "What does Slade want with us? Why has he done this? He has never caused so much damage before, and he could have very easily. Slade wanted you to be safe, always!"

Tears dripped freely down her face now. She rubbed them away with frustration. "I do not know why he has done this. He – Slade wants me to become his apprentice, as he wished for you, once. I cannot see why." Starfire sobbed. "Robin! He almost killed you. Why?"

"Star…fire…"

Lime-green eyes widened, and Starfire lifted her head to look at her friend. Robin's face had turned to hers. "Star…"

"You are awake," she breathed. "You are all right!"

His face was overcome by shock when she threw her arms around him.

* * *

"Bee," Cyborg said quietly, "Did that attack seem – _not right_ to you?"

The girl nodded. "That wasn't Slade's style," she said softly. "You know that, and I know that. It isn't his way to trick us and trap us. That – wasn't him attacking us."

He shook his head. "They were his robots, weren't they?" Cyborg told her. "The man wouldn't let anyone else make those things. They were his style, all right. It's just that the attack wasn't."

"But that doesn't make sense," Bumble Bee said. "You just told me that he doesn't let other people use his stuff."

"Actually," Cyborg amended, "That isn't true. When Robin was his apprentice, Slade gave him all sorts of stuff. Same thing happened with Terra. I think the only other people he lets use his technology is his apprentices."

A look of comprehension came across Bumble Bee's face. "If the attack wasn't his style…and the robots were still his…"

Cyborg frowned when she didn't go on. "Then…?" he prodded.

She turned to him, smiling widely. "Then maybe he's letting his newest apprentice run the show."

* * *

"B-B-Beast Boy."

The teen looked up from examining the medical charts in shock. Raven was gazing at him, eyes unfocused, looking even more tired than she usually did. He quickly moved to the chair by her bed and sat down. "Raven," he said, straining to keep his voice quiet, "You're awake."

She nodded. "We – we lost pretty badly, huh," she whispered, eyes focusing a little better on Beast Boy.

Quietly, he laughed. "No, actually, we didn't," the transformer informed her. "Starfire defeated all the robots and saved everyone."

Violent eyes went wide. "Really?"

"Yeah," he said. "She took those binding things off me, and then she got you out of that goopy crap."

Raven smiled. She seemed a little stronger and pushed herself up to a sitting position. "Yeah," she said softly. "That gum stuff." Her voice sounded vacant and slightly dreamy.

That dreamy quality concerned Beast Boy. Raven didn't sound that way. Ever. "Maybe you'd better get some rest," he said, voice slightly perturbed.

She looked up at him, a strange emotion on her face. "Um – okay. I'm – tired. Very tired…" She leaned back onto the bed and closed her eyes. Beast Boy smiled down at her and put his hand on her forehead. The girl's skin felt soft and cool to the touch. _Just like normal,_ he thought.

A soft, pale hand reached up and held onto his wrist. "Thank you," she whispered before she fell asleep.

* * *

"Starfire…can't…breathe…"

"Oh!" She let go of him, sitting back on the edge of the bed.

He smiled at her. "I – I'm glad you saved me," he said. Her face glowed with pride. "You did great," he said.

"You do not even know what I did," she said modestly.

A blush crept over his cheekbones. "Uh," he said. "Well, I know you saved me. How could I be here if you didn't? Cyborg was down, Raven was caught, and Beast Boy was being shocked."

She smiled. "I could tell you the epic tale of the rescue later," Starfire said.

"I'd like that." He sat up, then rubbed his head as a twinge of pain coursed through it. "Concussion, huh." Robin stretched, rolling his joints and moving his muscles.

Starfire nodded. "You were hit over the noggin with a blunt object," she said. "I believe you may have been punched."

A strange look came over his face. "About that," he began. "I think I know – "

"Robin!"

Cyborg's deep voice boomed out into the room. His head was sticking through the curtain, and Bumble Bee was with him. "Hey, y'all," she said, grinning. "Nice to see you awake. Raven's up too. What do you say we girls cook us up some breakfast?"

Their leader glanced at his communicator. "Wow," he said. "It's eight a.m. already."

Bumble Bee nodded. "So – how about that meal, huh? Raven's feeling better, so she can make Star some pancakes, and I can make some bacon and tofu pancakes for everybody. And fish," she said when Aqualad stuck his head in underneath hers. "I can make all sorts of stuff. My brother can help."

A boy in an outfit matching Bumble Bee's poked his head in. "Hi," he said, grinning. Then he pulled his head back out.

She rolled her eyes. "Wasp is – weird," she said.

The Titans laughed.

"Yeah," said Robin, "Breakfast sounds great."

"I will help!" Starfire exclaimed, rushing after Bumble Bee and the others.

She was floating down the hall when Beast Boy stopped her. "Uh, Star," he asked awkwardly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, friend Beast Boy," she said, landing on her feet before him. "What is the problem of which you wish to speak?"

The green teen gazed up at her. "Star," he said, "Why did you save me first?"

A look of surprise crossed her face. "I had a device to free you from your sparking prison," she said. "The figure who led the Slade attack gave it to me."

His face looked blank. "But why did he – uh – she – I mean – _it_ – why did you get it?"

The girl frowned. "I do not really know," she said quietly. "I believe the person wished for you to be safe. The person left our other friends as destroyed."

This explanation seemed to satisfy his curiosity, and he nodded. As Beast Boy walked off down the hall back towards the Med Room, he suddenly stopped and turned to face Starfire. "But – why did they want _me_ safe?"

* * *

**Rory: Dun-dun-duuuun! A cliffy…Ooh. Haven't written any of those for a while. Dang, that felt good.**

**What did you think? I want an opinion, so review! Constructive criticism is huggled and appreciated; flames will be taken into serious consideration and used to build upon. But please, don't insult my interpretation of Ryand'r.**

**NOTE: In the original comic book series, Ryand'r did not have an English name. He did, however, have powers. Along with the Tamaranian ability to convert solar energy into flight (the emotion thing was created by the show writers by all probability,) Ryand'r could make his hands create intense heat. I did not know this when I originally wrote the previous chapters and when I created Darkfire's history and powers.**


	9. IX

**Disclaimer:**

**Darkfire: Fourthelement does not own Teen Titans or any related characters or media. She does not own me, Ryand'r, as a character. She does not own Titans East. She does not own even Saffire because she is named for the original character Koriand'r, who is not hers. She also does not claim any of this.**

**NOTES**

**Rory: Whew…Third written chapter in two days. I really need to rest my fingers.**

**REVIEWS:**

**I can't do this...GRRR.

* * *

The following day, Titans East headed back to base, and the Tower was once again quiet and peaceful. Apart from Cyborg hammering the new door into place, that is.**

All the remaining Titans sat in the main room, doing their normal activities. Robin was still attempting to master _Teen Titans: The Video Game IV_. Beast Boy was laughing at Robin as he died for the fifth consecutive time and played with Raven's hair. Raven was deeply immersed in meditation and didn't notice that her hair was now sticking approximately four inches from her skull. Starfire was again writing in her diary, curled into the couch next to her boyfriend. Saffire was reading a comic book written in English entitled "Ranma ½" and watching Beast Boy tease out her mentor's hair. Darkfire sat on the floor, goofing around with the cat and a few pigeons.

Cyborg entered the room, looked around, and jumped on the couch between Robin and Starfire, making it bounce. A lot. Robin flew off the end and hit his head on the coffee table. Rubbing his head, he glared at his two laughing friends. "That wasn't funny," he fumed. "It hurt."

" 'Course it did," Cyborg chortled. "That's why it was so funny."

Robin growled and jumped on him. A serious fistfight over what "funny" meant ensued. All they proved was that "funny" meant "Cyborg and Robin duking it out on a couch."

"Raven," Saffire said, causing the telepath to look up slowly from her meditative state. "Is-what a 'pervert'?" she asked innocently.

The girl sighed. "Another day, Saffire, another day."

Starfire giggled. "Later I shall explain it, cousin."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Do you even know what it means?" She then noticed that her hair didn't feel right and raised her hand to touch it. Raven nearly fainted. The purple strands stuck out in violent spikes with what felt suspiciously like…_drool._ "_Beast Boy!_"

He flinched and started inching away from behind her. "Yeah?"

"_What did you do to my hair!"_

Starfire surveyed the scene before here, sighing. Robin was beating on Cyborg. Beast Boy was running away from Raven. "We are back to normal," she said in a very pleased voice, and went back to her writing.

* * *

**Rory: Okay, short chapter. But the last TWO were really long, and this was just sort of an in-between before the next chapter, which is sorta big. So – hope you enjoyed the small bit of interesting interaction between the Titans.**


	10. X

**Disclaimer:**

**Chris: fourthelement doesn't own Teen Titans.**

**Felicity: She doesn't claim it, either.**

**Raia: Also, the aforesaid author does not own anything related to Microsoft. That belongs to Bill Gates.**

**Matt: So don't report her.**

**NOTES**

**Rory: Thanks, guys. This is chapter 10 of Thicker Than Water. How enjoyable! In this chapter, we find Slade going to more desperate measures to get his apprentice. Back at the Tower, our protagonists – Starfire and company – are dealing with a huge problem.**

**Pogo: What was that about?**

**Rory: …the chapter.**

**Pogo: Well, you sounded stupid.**

**Rory: sigh : Just read it already.**

**REVIEWS**

**Ooooh, I am so happy, I just found out I can do this!**

**EMBER91: Okay, okay, be patient. There IS a little thing called "plot" you know...sheesh! But I'll try to do some of that for you. No, Robin is NOT evil, he's just...MISUNDERSTOOD! Heh, no really. He isn't evil. Yes, um, thank you: Hits Emmers upon the noggin : There ya go, buddy!**

**Raidersrule76: Fun...allrighty then. What was so fun about chapter nine anyways? The hair thing, or the comics thing? (Starting from chapter 6) Why, yes, he is. Um, yep, rhymie? Saffire is...evil? Or Darkfire? Okay, I perhaps have succeeded in confusing you. Yes, Ryand'r can fly. Quite well thank you. And shoot starbolts. FUN! **

**MaskBehindtheShadows: Wow...that's one of the best reviews I've ever gotten...Thank you! Oh - I blog too much? Heh...**

**Sherbet Mayhem: Okay, I'll keep that in mind.**

**READ ON!

* * *

**

"Fifty thousand. Final offer."

Slade's teeth clenched. Fifty thousand on this new apprentice…plus expenses…Starfire was certainly a costly assistant. "All right," he grumbled. "I have no other choice."

The teenage boy before him smiled behind his mask. "Ah, but that's just the down payment."

"What?" he asked coldly.

He didn't even flinch. Slade knew that he could get into anywhere. After all, he had gotten into the Tower, and the Titans didn't even know it. "One hundred thousand total. Fifty before, and fifty at the end. As a guarantee."

After a minute of silent thought, Slade nodded. "You will get my apprentice," he said in a dangerous voice. "I know you. You're likely to just run off with the tiny pittance that I'll pay you."

"Now, really, Slade," he replied smoothly, "What do you have to worry about? This is me we're talking."

"That's why I'm worried," he shot back. "Now get to business."

"Yes, sir," he said, then backflipped out the back window.

Slade shook his head as he watched the hired thief made his way into the city. That Red X had to be watched at every step.

* * *

Starfire gasped, surveying the scene. "No…"

"Please, Star," Robin said softly. "Just do it."

"It is not possible," she gasped.

Raven and Saffire put hands on her shoulder. "You have to," the dark girl said. "If you don't, you know what'll happen."

Her lower lip trembled. "But – But I – I cannot!"

Cyborg moaned. "For the sake of all that is metal, Starfire, just pick a path!"

The Titans were in their living room, playing a video game together. It was a new game, just released, called _Teen Titans: The Video Game V: The Quest_. The game depicted several of their most amazing adventures, all jumbled into one. In _The Quest_, Starfire (the character) had to lead her teammates through a Tamaranian jungle. Down one path was a fearsome beast, and down the other was – horror of all horrors – Blackfire.

"But I do not know the path down which resides my horrid sister!" she moaned.

"I believe it does not matter," Darkfire told her. "You can just do the kicking-of-butt in the game that you have done in the real life."

The others nodded. Starfire sighed. "All right," she said. "I shall choose…right."

She hit the left button.

_CRASH._

"Not the good dishes, man!" Cyborg yelled as the seven ran to the dark kitchen.

Robin reached for the switch, but nothing happened. "The lights are out," he muttered, and pulled out a tiny flashlight. The beam revealed an odd scene.

A pile of broken china spilled over the edge of the counter and onto the floor. There was no one inside the kitchen, either. They looked around, searching for the cause of the mess. "Beast Boy," Cyborg said, "If this was one of your dumb animals again…"

"It was not," he began indignantly.

Their argument was cut short by a yelp. Saffire, standing near the back of the group, was now suspended in the air, dangling by her long blue hair. They armed themselves. Red X dropped from the ceiling, examining his prey. "What?" he said, clearly shocked. "You aren't Starfire!" He took a closer look. "You're just as cute as she is, though…"

"Let her go, X," Robin growled.

He looked up, apparently noticing the Titans for the first time. "Oh," he said, "It's you." He let go of the frightened girl's hair and kicked the birdarangs from Robin's hand. "I came for Starfire."

"I shall not go in peace," she said from behind him, eyes glowing.

The teen grinned. "Heh," he said. "I thought you might not." A red X-shaped thing came flying at her.

She vaporized it, slowly floating towards him. The other Titans had never seen her so angry. "You will leave my home," she said in a quiet, deadly voice. "You will go. Far away. And you will not return to the Tower."

He laughed softly. "Says who?"

"Says me." An immense beam of green light hit him in the chest. Red X flew backwards and hit the wall behind him. Starfire gently set down to the ground and stared at him emotionlessly. She turned to her friends. Everyone was staring at her; Beast Boy looked a little scared. Weakly, she tried to crack a smile, but she just couldn't.

Raven knelt besides the criminal's body and placed a hand on his chest. After a moment, she sighed. "Azerath metrion zinthos," she muttered. X's body disappeared. "I just sent him to the hospital," the girl informed the now panic-stricken Starfire. "He'll live. He may not have children, and he probably won't be running too soon, but the guy will live."

"What – what happened?" Robin asked. "You've never done that before. Hit someone with a starbolt like that."

Her eyes flinched slightly, full of pain, and she ran off, not even trying to fly. The remaining Titans stared after her. "I don't understand," Cyborg said. "Why's she actin' this way?"

"Her sixteenth year."

Everyone turned to stare at Darkfire, who had picked up an unconscious Saffire and floated to the back of the door. He looked a little embarrassed. "She is in her sixteenth year, soon. In that year, those with emerald blood – the royal bloodline – undergo a second Change. This Change will determine most of the rest of her life."

They looked shocked. Robin was the first to come out of it. "What…what does that mean?"

He stared deeply at him. "It means that all of my sister's most important life processes will take place in this year. For those of pure blood – her, Blackfire, and me – the second change also changes what our abilities are like. Blackfire is late. She has not had hers. But Starfire is right on time, as usual, and it seems that her starbolts are intensifying." Darkfire paused. "There is – something else. Something important."

When he did not speak, Robin prodded him on. "Yeah?"

"During the second Change," he began hesistantly, "Females of my race… _differ_ from the males."

They blinked at him. Darkfire sighed. "During this change, females begin to have the ability to have children," he informed them.

Beast Boy started retching silently behind Robin's back. The aforementioned martial artist was turning quite red indeed. "Chuh-chuh-_children_?" he stammered.

"Yes, children," he said. "That is why she left. She did not want to explain this to you. I believe on Earth you call this the 'time of month' for the females." He thought a moment. "This _is_ the second Change, right? She didn't fall late like Koma?"

"Yeah, it's the second," Raven said. "And I thought the last one was bad…"

* * *

**A/n: Mergh. I didn't like that one as much as all the others. I think that chapter seven was, is, and remains my favorite, at least for now. Until chapter eleven, that is...**

**So – review? Pretty please? With…icing?**

**Okay, now that was really pathetic. Just review, for God's sake.**


	11. XI

**Disclaimer: No. I don't own anything you may or may not recognize. So screw off.**

**Raia: Hey there. I'm Raia, and I'm taking over for Rory because she's sleeping right now.**

**This is the eleventh chapter of Thicker Than Water. Who knew Rory would actually get this far?**

**Oh, yeah! This chapter is dedicated to Raidersrule76 for reasons he will eventually figure out. (Hi Carson!)**

**Since I don't do this much, I'd better just get to the writing.**

**LATER:**

**_Pogo here. Sorry, but everyone else is out cold for some reason...So my collegue Rei and I will answer reviews._**

_You understand the word "collegue"?_

**_Shut up._**

**EMBER91: _Oh, okay, no more hitting, then. Just keep reviewing, kay? Heh. Thanks for sticking by this story for so long._**

**Raidersrule76: **_**Hey, the icing was a temporary thing. Hope it tasted okay. Rory isn't the greatest of cooks...**More like a poison specialist. And this one is longer. It's dedicated to you. For a couple reasons. **Hope it's up to par.**_

**Read the story already!**

**

* * *

**

Darkfire was lying on his back up in his room. It was very quiet in the Tower. He was thinking about his sister.

Starfire was a lot different than he had expected. She was shorter, for one; but she still looked basically the same as when she left Tameran ten years ago. Well, she _was_ a bit more mature-looking.

What amazed him so much was the fact that she had dedicated her entire new life to the protection of a foreign race. While kind-hearted and pleasant by nature, Tameranians tended to care more for their own than other races. That may have been caused by countless wars, but that was just a guess.

The boy sighed, rolling over to stare at the clock. _5:17_. "Why am I unable to sleep?" he muttered to himself in Tameranian. Darkfire's thoughts were drawn to the week's earlier activities, and he squirmed with unease.

Just then, a sound like some sort of earthquake erupted. He stared down at his stomach. "I suppose I need food," Darkfire said matter-of-factly. Silently, he floated up from the bed and out the door.

* * *

Outside the Tower, a shadowed pair gazed up at the glassy exterior. One sighed. "It is nice, you know."

The other nodded. "Southern California? Of course. Beautiful weather, perfect terrain, plentiful wildlife, and the ocean right nearby. The Tower is set in such a beautiful place. But," the figure said, smiling slightly, "The view is even more amazing from inside…"

Nodding in agreement, the two made their way up to the door.

* * *

"I need to practice my Søkúyen," Darkfire said quietly, almost humming to himself. He loved living in the Tower. It made him feel so safe, and glad that his sister and cousin were protected inside its solid walls.

The boy stopped before the refrigerator, opening it and peering inside. "Let's see," Darkfire said, "That is jam, guøkyen, and that's called turkey, øobalesh. Apples, called guaken or sÌvey, and – AH! GUUDAMESH!" he cried happily, pulling out one of Starfire's multiple noxious puddings. He grinned to himself. "Thank Kori'nyrith for my sister," he said contentedly, sitting at the table to eat.

After a few moments, a dim blue glow emanated from the living room. Curiously, Darkfire moved to the doorway and peered in.

The main computer was glowing. Strange, pale blue calculations were being created and solved within instants, moving and shifting constantly. Darkfire advanced further, staring at the numbers, letters, and symbols moving across the screen, trying to decipher their meaning. Surely, with all the information stored in his head, he could discover what Cyborg's equations meant…

He searched the patterns, looking for reasons, checking the variables.

His inner voice whispered into his ear as the wheels in his mind clicked away. _There, that one had to do with the mainframe security. Look, Ryan, it tells of the Tower's dimensions and measurements. _Darkfire still couldn't see what was happening.

Then it clicked. Why else would the computer be shutting down the security system, and examining the Tower's architectural design for entrances?

Someone was hacking into the Tower.

A slight feeling of foreboding overtaking him, Darkfire pulled the computer's keyboard out to him, running his fingers smoothly over the flat, glowing keys, asking it a question. _Computer. Run search. Find: entrance. Point of reference: breach point._

He tapped the Send Information button and stared helplessly at the screen. The answer came up in almost a split second, and he froze. Swallowing, he raced off.

Behind him, the bluish plasma letters flickered and glowed.

_Breach point confirmed. Nearest Entrance: West. Nearest Room: Starfire.

* * *

_

"Owwwwww…That hurt…" One of the teenage 'visitors' had run into a protruding pipeline.

The second partner stuck out her tongue. "That's what you get for not paying attention, dear."

Her partner glared back. "Oh, thanks. You couldn't have _told_ me about the pipe?"

"Nope," she replied perkily.

"God," the other person sighed. "You're impossible."

A voice spoke from seemingly nothing to their right. "That's nothing compared to me."

Both teenagers stopped in their tracks. The second took a step back. "Who are you?" she hissed, taking a fighting stance.

From the shadows emerged a teenaged boy, about the same age as the partners were. His clothes looked like Starfire's, or what was possibly the male version. Eerily, the boy's eyes were glowing a deep ruby red. "Someone you don't want to mess with."

The other teen's head shook from side to side. "Look, pal, we just need to get in the Tower. We don't want to mess with anyone."

"You can't go in," Darkfire informed them. "This is your last warning. Go away, or I will be forced to annihilate you."

The girl's brown eyes narrowed. "We go nowhere," she spat at him.

He shrugged. "Fine. Have it your way," Darkfire said, then pulled back his right hand.

* * *

Starfire awoke to the sound of the alarm ringing. Poking her head out of her room, she saw Raven zooming past. "Friend," she began sleepily, "What is happening?"

The girl paused in midair for a moment, turning to face her. "Something is happening outside the Tower," she said. "Cyborg said someone may have breached the security."

She froze. Someone breaching Cyborg's system was nearly impossible. She and Raven flew down to the main room.

The other Titans were gathered around the main computer. Robin was briefing them. "-cameras were disabled by something before the fight began, possibly by opposing powers. Thankfully, the sensors still work."

"But, dude, why didn't the alarm sound earlier?" Beast Boy asked. "Like when they kinda, you know, got here?"

"The security system was running a security channel change when it was interrupted by a search command," Cyborg informed them. "Someone was already inside the Tower when the computer by one of the doors was getting' hacked. They noticed, and they're outside now."

Raven raised an eyebrow. "But we're all here," she observed dryly.

"No, we are not," Starfire said suddenly, noticing her younger cousin watching the older teens converse. "My brother is gone."

Cursing loudly, Cyborg ran another system check. "That musta been what he was doing!" he said, tapping away furiously at the keyboard. "The last search was an SBS. That's a System Breach Search for all y'all computer illiterates out there. I'll pull up the results on the History."

A few more taps, and some word appeared on the screen. _Breach point confirmed. Nearest Entrance: West. Nearest Room: Starfire._

The Titans stared at it, dumbfounded. "So that's it," Robin said.

"He was protecting me," Starfire whispered. No one heard her.

It was silent for a few moments. "Uh, Robin?" Beast Boy asked. "Why are we still standing here instead of breaking up the brawl?"

"That's a good question," Raven said, rising a couple of inches into the air.

Robin suddenly snapped out of a deep brood. "Uh – Titans, GO!"

* * *

"Look," hissed the girl, "We aren't going anywhere. This is where we want to be!"

All three had taken a momentary pause form their fight, breaths coming in heaves. Darkfire was glaring at the two opposing teens, calculating.

The first rays of the morning sun had spread above the horizon, bathing them in a golden coat of light. Darkfire watched his opponents, remembering the days of his war training.

Both were teenage girls, around fifteen or so. They looked quite a bit alike: a sheet of blonde hair, similar face shapes, similar builds – _Like sticks,_ he thought with bemusement. Two things told them apart: the color of their eyes – blue and brown – and the symbols on their matching black and flat gold uniforms.

Emblems on the center of their chests read "T" and "S".

Although the T reminded him of something, Darkfire decided to show no mercy. They could have attacked his sister, for the Kori'nyrith's sake!

Quickly, he thrust his arm to the side, shooting a starbolt from his palm, and took hold of the bright ruby light. Darkfire pulled the bolt into a long, round whip.

The brown-eyes one snorted. "And what's that supposed to do?" she teased.

He gazed evenly at her. "This," he said simply, and slammed it into the ground.

Somehow, the star-whip crushed itself into the ground, making itself part of the soil. It tore through the dust like an earthquake, the tip of the curled bolt lashing out and snapping at the girl. She stumbled back, shock on her creamy face.

Darkfire narrowed his eyes. "Now. Do you wish to leave, or do I have to _MAKE YOU_?" The glow of his eyes suggested severe and life-threatening anger.

The other girl, the blue-eyes one, glared at him. "You think you're the _only_ one with powers?" she yelled, eyes radiating with a golden glow. A huge chunk of dirt rose under her feet, separating itself from the Earth. "My powers come from the purest Markovian bloodline! You can't even _think_ you can beat Sierra and me working together!" Indeed, the girl on the ground rose with her sister, pulling another piece of Earth to take her.

Darkfire's eyes widened. This didn't look too good. But then, he remembered something as well.

"You cannot defeat me," he said softly in Markovian.

Both girls stared at him, confused. "You know our language?" Sierra asked.

He smiled evilly. "I know everything," he told them, right before he shot a starbolt right at Terra's heart.

* * *

The Titans reached the brawl to find Terra and Sierra facing off against Darkfire. He said something in smooth Markovian, and they reacted with astonishment. Then, he said something in a language that no one knew, but everyone understood.

"I know everything…"

Then, a scarlet beam tore through the air and hit Terra in the chest.

For a moment, it seemed as though time itself had stopped. The girl's blue eyes were wide with shock, and the Titans stared helplessly in horror.

Sierra, however, didn't stop. "Demon!" she screamed, hurling herself at Darkfire, clawing at his eyes and chest. He was shocked that any fool would attack a Tameranian without a decent suit of armor, and she managed to nail the side of his face before he grabbed her arms.

"_I am not a demon_," he said forcefully in the same language he had used once before.

"Don't move!" Robin yelled.

Darkfire and Sierra both looked over at where he was standing. Cyborg was holding Terra's limp body, and Raven's hands hovered over the girl's heart. Darkfire was confused. "What – they were attacking the Tower!"

"They were coming home," Robin said angrily. "They're the two other Titans on our team!"

He looked genuinely shocked. "…Titans?"

"Yes, Titans," Sierra spat. Darkfire blinked in disgust, seeing as he now had her saliva on his face. "You just hurt my sister! You could have killed her!"

"Actually, he went out of his way not to," Raven interrupted. She had finished taking care of Terra's wounds. "I've seen the sort of damage Starfire's done to people, robots, and buildings. Trust me, if they're anything alike – and siblings tend to be – " Here, she gave Sierra a scathing look " – then Darkfire just made a really weak starbolt so he would just knock her out."

Starfire was giving her brother an odd look.

Sierra didn't notice. "You mean…she is all right…"

"Yeah. Exactly."

She sighed in relief. But before they went in, Robin shot Darkfire a very suspicious look.

"Why did you not tell me there was another two Titans?" Darkfire asked Beast Boy as the two played video games that afternoon.

Although it had caused minor panic, it was discovered that Terra would be completely fine, to the joy of her sister and dissatisfaction of one or more of my reviewers. She had even woken up and was now reporting to Robin, along with Sierra.

Beast Boy bit his lip. "We aren't on good terms," he said through gritted teeth.

Darkfire sensed a bad subject, and abruptly moved on. "What took the rest of you so long?"

"Robin was being stupid," he replied, hacking at Darkfire's character in _Tortallan Quest_. "He was just staring out into space, sorta, and not really paying attention."

"Oh," Darkfire said simply, slicing the head off of Beast Boy's character.

After a few more rounds, the two gave up and just sat on the couch watching television. Starfire came into the room. "Brother," she said softly, "We need to talk."

He looked at her, and saw that her emerald eyes were full of sorrow. Immediately, the boy sprang up.

"I will 'hang out' with you later, Beast Boy," Darkfire said, and followed his sister to her room.

It was very…pink in Starfire's room. The carpet was pink, the bed was pink, the walls were pink, and everything else inside was the same color as well. Honestly, Darkfire was afraid to touch anything. He just hovered a couple of inches away from his sister.

She pulled out a chair and sat down, head in her hands. Then, she looked up at him.

"You are ill," she said softly.

He was taken aback. What was she talking about? "No, Kori, I'm fine," he told her carefully. "I am not sick."

Starfire frowned. "If you are indeed healthy," she said, "then I must ask you the question, which concerns me."

With a sudden, sickening drop, Darkfire realized what she was talking about. "Um, I, ah, do not really wish to speak of this – "

"But you must," she said desperately, standing. "You must answer me honestly! If you do not, Ryand'r, then you are in what they call on Earth "trouble," and I do not wish for my brother to be in such trouble." Starfire's voice quivered on the brink of tears. "You understand the laws that bind our people, Darkfire. You must answer my question!"

He realized that she was right, although he didn't want to tell anyone about it, not even her.

On Tameran, those with green blood – royal blood – had greater powers than those of the common orange blood did. They could shoot starbolts, an almost exclusive power, and they could fly higher and faster than others of their race could. However, all powers have limits.

Tameranian royal-bloods could only shoot a certain way. There was no changing or adjusting of heat or concentration of the bolt, although they could release more or less. If their bolts were not as strong as usual, there were two possibilities. One was that they were sick. The other, much less likely explanation was that the Tameranian had bound their body, mind, and spirit to something – or someone.

"Ryand'r," Starfire whispered softly, "Who are you bound to?"

* * *

**Raia: Ooh. A cliffhanger. I am soooo evil.**

**Anyway, why don't you all review? I bet Rory would like that. Trust me, tell her what you think and she'll do something nice. Like, oh, I don't know, give you a cookie, or something. Oh, yeah, and bonus points if you know where I got the name of the video game that Darkfire and Beast Boy are playing.**

**So press the little button, why don't you?**


	12. XII

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans belongs to Cartoon Network and Glen Murakami. I think. So don't think I'm claming this show!**

**Rory: Okay. I'm back. Hi, everyone. **

**This chapter may be a bit over-dramatic, but you have to remember that it's Starfire-centered and Starfire is a bit over-dramatic and flamboyant about everything.

* * *

**

Darkfire gazed sadly at his sister. _I guess it's time,_ he thought tiredly. His entire face seemed to sink at the thought. "Kori, I – "

"Starfire!"

The door slid open to reveal Robin standing in the doorway, almost wild-eyed, leaning on the frame. Starfire turned hesitantly to face him. "Robin, we were talking – "

"Star, I think – I need to tell you something, okay?" he said, breathing heavily. It seemed that he had run all the way there.

She frowned slightly, then surrendered and gave her brother a helpless look. "We will talk later," Starfire told him. "You have not answered me yet." With that, she moved towards her friend and left the room with him.

Darkfire sighed sadly. He had to tell her. Soon.

"Robin," Starfire began, "What is wrong?"

"Not yet," Robin said under his breath. "In my room. I need to tell you something. It's important, Star, really important." They continued moving towards his room very quickly.

Finally, they found his room. Starfire sat down on one of the cold, nondescript metal stools by her friend's desk. Robin, meanwhile, paced before her. "I think I've figured out what's happening with Slade."

Her face lit up. "That is wonderful!" she said happily. "But why is it so important?"

"I'm getting to that," he said. "It all started when Cyborg mentioned something that Bumble Bee discussed with him. They figured out that, since Slade was the only one who used Slade's robots and devices, he was the only one who could have been behind the attacks. They also figured out that Slade does lend stuff to his apprentices. So – when there was that huge attack on the Tower, and you were the only one left, you knew that it wasn't Slade."

Starfire nodded. True, the figure had been too short to be Slade.

"Therefore, it had to be Slade's newest apprentice." Robin paced a few steps, then stopped and turned to face Star. "Then I remembered something from the attack. Before I was hit, I heard a voice. It was a male voice, Starfire." He gave her a significant look.

However, she was still confused. "So the new apprentice is a…male?" she asked, bewildered.

He swallowed. "Don't you see? The apprentice – he's Darkfire."

All color faded from Starfire's face. "No," she said in a hushed voice.

"It has to be," Robin said desperately. "Think about it. The first day he was here, he took Saffire and the _Luand'r_ away from us, and we don't know where they went. We don't know where they went once they left us after the practice fight. Darkfire wasn't with us when Slade's apprentice attacked us. Don't you think it could be because he _is_ Slade's apprentice?"

Tears were welling up behind her eyes, and Starfire tried to blink them away. It wasn't fair; her brother couldn't do that! "He would not," she said tearfully. "You do not know my brother the way I do! He would not become Slade's apprentice! That would be betrayal. A disloyalty of our blood. Ryand'r would not do that. We are bound by our royal blood."

"Blackfire didn't find that a problem," Robin said very quietly.

Emerald eyes went wide as Starfire realized what he was saying.

And everything clicked into place.

Disappearing from time to time. The story that didn't quite fit everything, even though she had not realized. The anger with the robot, and tearing its inner computers out. The apprentice's blatant cruelty in the taking down of Robin. How the apprentice knew – exactly – the weakness of every Titan.

The apprentice knew – because the apprentice was her brother.

It made sense. Slade had used apprentices from inside the Tower before. The Titans hadn't exactly become more careful, either. Starfire's family had betrayed her before; it wasn't a new concept. Her father, selling her to the Psions, and Blackfire's many treacheries. Only Luand'r, Starfire's mother, had been a good, virtuous Tameranian.

Kori'nyrith…

Everything made so much sense. Ryand'r's weak starbolts weren't because of illness. They were because of a binding. A binding to Slade.

Suddenly, Starfire's world – the final standing, crumbling walls – were crashing down around her. She had been betrayed. By anyone, everyone she'd ever known.

Robin became Slade's apprentice.

Her father sold her.

Her sister sacrificed her to the police.

Terra was an apprentice.

Her friends couldn't help her.

Darkfire had made the ultimate betrayal.

Starfire closed her eyes as tight as she could and began to cry. Completely wilting, she sank from the seat to the floor. On her hands and knees, sobs racked her body.

A hand came to rest softly and comfortingly on her back. "Starfire? Are you all right?" It was a familiar voice, or, at least, it should have been. In her current state, though, the only thing Starfire could associate with this voice was pain and deception.

Slowly, unsteadily, she stood. Starfire could trust no one. Everything was – broken. She turned and left Robin's room, even though he called out her name.

_I was betrayed…_

Starfire wandered through the Tower. One thought went through her mind: I_ need someone to trust._

Mentally, she ran over the few people in her life that had been kind to her. Her mother, of course, but she was dead. Robin betrayed her. Blackfire – a back-stabber. Darkfire had just come back to her – but he betrayed her too.

_My friends,_ she thought miserably. Then, she realized. _My friends._

Cyborg had never hurt her. Beast Boy made her laugh. Raven may not act like it, but she liked Starfire, and they understood each other – to an extent. Starfire nearly began to cry again from joy. She rushed of to find them.

As she went, she realized something. Darkfire couldn't have been the apprentice. He was much stronger than she, and could easily have defeated her in mortal combat. If he really had wanted to, he would have taken her to Slade, or incapacitated her. He would never have let it go on so long.

Starfire's heart was nearly singing.

As she rushed past a shadowy hallway, a voice called out to her. "And where are you going, Starfire?"

She froze. That voice…she knew that voice…

"Surely you aren't going to see Beast Boy, Raven, and Cyborg," the voice said, coming up behind her. Starfire didn't dare to turn around. Certainly the apprentice would have a gun, or – something that would cause bodily harm.

Instead, she decided to negotiate her way out of it. "Greetings, apprentice," she said quietly.

The teen laughed. "Cut the crap, Starfire. We both know what's going down."

"I do not understand," she told the apprentice. "What is 'down' about this?"

The apprentice – the Informant – shook his head. "You know, I never thought you'd be this stupid," he informed her.

Heat prickled her face. "I am smarter than I seem," she said tersely.

He laughed again. "Just keep telling yourself that."

She could hear him taking a few steps closer. "You know, I'm doing this for Slade," he whispered, only a few inches from her ear. Starfire shivered. It seemed that he was as tall as she was, and she was beginning to think that it was Darkfire.

"Slade wants you safe," he whispered, now even closer.

Gulping, Starfire tried a different track. "What have you done to my friends?"

He shrugged, although she couldn't see it. "Same thing I did last time," he said. "Trapped them. Cyborg got a virus from his breakfast, Raven's slowly being pulled underwater with the tide, Robin is locked in his room with poisonous gas, and Beast Boy is too - _tied-up_ to save them." The Informant chuckled at his own little joke. As if it wasn't a total cliché.

"You will not get away with this," Starfire said. **(Oh, the cliché-ness of it all…)**

"On the contrary," he said. "I sure as hell am. Now. Any last words as a Titan? Because once we leave the Tower, you will become Slade's apprentice."

She took a deep breath. There was one thing she wanted to know. One thing she had to know, and she would give in. "Did – was Saffire a part of this?" she asked, defeated. "Did she help you carry out your plot, Darkfire?"

This time, the apprentice laughed harder than ever. "No! Saffire wasn't a part of this, Starfire. She didn't help me 'carry out my plot'. And do you want to know _why_, Starfire?"

Pain overwhelmed her, but she didn't care anymore. "Yes," she said. "I wish to know."

He smiled evilly, showing his canines. "Saffire didn't help me," he said, turning Starfire around to face him, "Because I'm not Darkfire."

* * *

**Pogo: EEP! Betcha didn't see that coming, did you? Ha!**

**Anyways. A review for Rory would be nice. Go on. Click the button.**


	13. XIII

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Don't own. Get a clue.**

**Rory: Welcome to chapter 13. Thanks for the reviews.**

**This is a pretty long chapter, about three thousand words.

* * *

**

Cyborg yawned. Man, was he tired. That wasn't normal; maybe he needed a quick reboot.

He went into his room and sat down at the desk. May as well get a few things done first. That was how Cyborg did things. One hundred ten percent.

First, he decided to run a system check. Maybe the exhaustion was a bug or a glitch. Better to catch those things early.

It was a pretty normal scan. Cyborg yawned again. He was really tired. Maybe he ought to try to get some sleep. He laid his head down on the desk as the sweeper scanned his systems. In fact, he was so tired that he didn't even notice the first blip of a virus…or the second…

* * *

Robin punched the wall of his room. He shouldn't have done that. _I probably just made it worse,_ he thought, remembering the look on Starfire's face when she left the room.

She had been so – so heartbroken, different from her usual perky self. It had been almost like she'd snapped, taking everything right about her and turning it upside-down and inside out. He felt guilty, in fact, for causing loss of such innocence.

Robin felt so tired from the day. So tired, it made him sick.

He blinked. Stress usually little physical effect on him.

"Computer," he said, addressing his laptop, "Run a scan on the atmosphere level."

The machine was done in a few minutes. "Scan complete. Fourteen percent breathable. Fifteen percent non-breathable. Thirty-one percent unreadable gases. Forty- percent toxic gases."

Robin frowned. "Toxic gases? More information, please." _That can't be right,_ he thought.

"Toxic gases increasing at a rate of point three five seven percent acceleration rate per second. Effects of toxic gases include drowsiness, nausea, and death through prolonged contact."

At that point, Robin decided that the computer wasn't malfunctioning, and indicated so by the curses emitting from his mouth. The laptop wasn't done, however. It had one last projection to make.

"You have thirty-five minutes to live. Have a nice day."

He sighed. Robin really didn't like the little additive Beast Boy insisted go into the computer programs.

* * *

The Tower kitchen seemed pretty quiet to Beast Boy. He didn't really care. All he had eyes for was the oven.

Why the oven, you ask? Because it had something inside. His wonderful miracle TwoFu. It was, as Beast Boy put it, 'The first tofu to be made with sawdust. Cheap and easy to flavor!'

Surprisingly enough, Cyborg had declined to be his first TwoFu client. Beast Boy just shrugged and made some more. Actually, it wasn't bad. Tasted good, to be honest. Especially if it was kiwi-flavored.

Beast Boy's excellent hearing caught a sound outside in the hall. It sounded like Raven's cloak swishing, only louder.

"Hey, Rae?" he called. "Want to be my first TwoFu customer?"

There was no reply. That surprised him, since Raven was really one for comebacks, not the cold shoulder. "Rae?" Still no answer. Cautiously, he stepped into the hall. No one was there.

"Raven?" he called in a slightly panicked voice.

A heavy brown cloth sack jumped out of nowhere and attacked him. He was captured within minutes.

"What the – " He tried to morph into an alligator in order to chew out of the bag – but Beast Boy found that he couldn't morph.

"I spared you the last time," came a voice, "Because you were nice to me. But I can't disobey any longer…" The male voice was very sad. "Please forgive me…"

* * *

Raven curled up on her bed, huddling into the covers. It was very quiet in her room, just how she liked it. No loud noises, just her and _Sage Apprentice_, her latest book. She immersed herself in the adventures of Andreios, ignoring the rush of water sounding from the bathroom she shared with Starfire.

After a few minutes, Raven found the drip-drip-drip intolerable. _Starfire must have left the shower on again,_ she thought in exasperation. Hovering over to the bathroom door, she hit the OPEN button and was instantly submerged in about three feet of water.

The girl paled. She hated the water.

Sloshing over to the bedroom door in a slight panic, Raven forgot all about her powers, banging on the button over and over, getting nowhere.

Finally, she tried to use her powers. "Azarath Metrion – AAGH!"

A voice-activated laser hit her from a "security camera" in one corner of her room.

Cursing, Raven tried the windows, but something held them in place. She looked around her room, searching for something to bust it with, but she remembered the shatterproof glass.

"Damn," she said as the water crept up to her chest.

* * *

Starfire stared blankly at the boy before her. He was an inch or so taller than her, with catlike greenish-yellow eyes and a thin, tanned face. His blue-gray hair was cropped short, naturally spiking, and he was built with a wiry frame. Strangely, he wore clothes much too short for him: khaki cargo shorts that were outgrown (or so it seemed) and a striped green and black t-shirt. He didn't have any shoes on.

He also looked vaguely familiar.

"Who – who are you?" she asked softly.

He looked taken aback, smirk finally wiped from his face. "That isn't important," he said hastily. Then, after a moment, he thought better of it.

"Actually, I will tell you," the mysterious boy said. "But we have to get to the hideout first." With that, he slapped a pair of what looked like handcuffs on Starfire and dragged her off.

It didn't take long to reach the hideout, the cavern now abandoned by Terra. Starfire gazed about with slight irritation. Couldn't the boy at least have done something original?

"Okay, here we are," he said, unceremoniously tossing her in a wooden chair. "Not as comfortable as the Tower is, but hey, we aren't all _great heroes._" A nasty look spread over his face at the last two words.

Starfire glared at him. "That is very nice," she said sarcastically. Doing the 'hanging out' with Raven had its occasional upside. "Will you tell me who you are?"

He looked surprised. "Oh, yeah. How rude of me." Once again, that insolent grin spread over his stealthy features. "I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Andy. Andrew Logan."

Racking her brain, Starfire could not figure out what had happened. "I know you," she said slowly.

Andy laughed. "Sure, you do," he said teasingly. "You really seemed to like petting me at the Tower. You and Darkfire. Obvious how you two are siblings." At this, the teen sighed. "My brothers all abandoned me."

Ignoring the pang of pity she felt for him, Starfire prodded, "Your brothers?" She needed to distract him while she figured out what he meant about 'petting' and picked the lock on her handcuffs.

He looked irritated. "My oldest brother's name is Matt. He ran off to Los Angeles once he got his high school degree. The other one, Brian, got himself killed one day in a gang fight." Andy's eyes narrowed. "I've never been able to count on anyone in my family. No one ever gave a damn about me. So I left and found my last remaining family."

The story sounded familiar enough to Star. She felt the same way. Still, she hadn't released the cuffs. "Remaining family?"

"Yeah." He paused, looking at her. "Beast Boy."

Starfire froze. _Friend Beast Boy?_

He grinned at the look on her face. "Didn't expect that, did you?" he asked. She shook her head, and Andy continued. "He's my only cousin. Dad's side." Andy's slightly slanted eyes gazed off into space. "We're the same age, you know," he said vaguely. "But I never met him. First, he was in Africa with his parents, and then with the Doom Patrol. By the time I figured out that the famous Beast Boy was related to me, he was a Titan."

"I am sorry you never met him," she said softly. _Distract,_ she thought. _Almost done. Left, twist._

"I don't care," he said. "But Ga – Beast Boy has been nicer to me than anyone else ever has. After I had an – accident at a nuclear plant in Ohio, I finally was able to find him without suspicion." Andy smiled, a yellow gleam in his eyes. "And he never knew I was there. Want to know my little secret?"

Starfire didn't particularly want to know, but he didn't wait for her to answer. Instead, he closed his eyes, shifting, melting down to the ground. She gasped.

Andy had turned into a cat.

His small body was covered in pale, silvery-gray fur, tail tipped with white. Slightly darker gray striped his back. The only things that attached this cute kitten to the ominous teen were the bright, yellow-green eyes that seemed to laugh at her.

In a heartbeat, he changed back. "Convenient, eh?" Andy chortled. "I get into the Tower as one of my cousin's pets, and you all welcome me with open arms."

Suddenly, it clicked. He was the cat Beast Boy played with when Darkfire and Saffire picked their names, and when the Titans were hanging out. "You have been here the whole time," she whispered. "You were under our proboscises for the entire duration of our predicament."

He nodded; a pleased expression spread on his outlandish features. "Yep," he said. "And no one ever knew."

Then, he abruptly grabbed Starfire's wrists. She had forgotten her quest for the unlocking of the shackles, and the locks were half-turned. "Huh," he said softly. "I knew it."

"I – I – I – " she stammered.

Shaking his head, Andy turned around, tugging her forwards. "It's time to meet our trainer."

* * *

Darkfire sighed softly. He didn't want to tell his sister about who he was bound to. Most Tamaranians bound themselves to their spouses. It was usually considered humiliating to be bound to someone else.

_This isn't,_ he thought fiercely.

He went to go find Saffire. Maybe she would be glad to see him.

When he walked into the room, he felt that something was not right. Then he discovered his little cousin's limp body, passed out on the floor. A book lay open next to her outstretched hand.

Gulping, he swept her up and ran from the room. The teen rushed to Robin's room. Although he didn't like it, Darkfire knew that Robin would be able to figure out what was wrong with her.

When he got there, he set Saffire over his shoulder and knocked on the door. "Robin?" he called, shifting the girl's slight weight. After a moment, Darkfire tried again. "Robin? I know you are inside." There was no answer.

Darkfire shifted with unease. Robin and Starfire had surely come straight to his room, hadn't they? Perhaps they had gone somewhere else.

Just as he turned to leave, he heard a faint noise. Maybe it was even imagined. But there was no way that Darkfire could have imagined what happened next. "Help," came a faint sound from the lower part of the door.

Ruby eyes widened as he figured out what was happening. Someone had locked Robin in his room. _And Starfire was with him. _Setting Saffire down, he clenched one hand into a fist. His skin started to glow with a blur of red heat, and, already regretting it, he slammed his hand into the lock module. Spars hissed, flying off, and there was a faint whirring noise. Ignoring the pain in his knuckles, Darkfire grabbed the edge of the door and pulled.

A coughing Robin fell out. "Th – thank you," he wheezed. Then, he saw his rescuer. Robin jumped up, pulling out various red and yellow gadgets. "Don't move," he said. "What have you done with Starfire?"

He looked rather insulted. "What have _I_ done with her? My sister was with _you_ last!"

The two boys looked ready to start brawling when a noise from the floor caught their attention. Saffire was shifting in her unconscious state.

Robin lowered his weapons, frowning. His superhero nature was taking over. "What's wrong with her?" he asked quietly, kneeling next to the girl.

Darkfire crouched next to his cousin as well. "I thought you would know," he informed him. "That is why I brought Korian here."

The other boy frowned. "Then – where's Starfire? She ran out of the room, and she hasn't been answering her communicator."

"Why would I know?" he asked. From the look on Robin's face, he could figure it out. "You thought I was betraying you, did you not? Betraying you to the one that you call 'Slade' or the like." Darkfire's face contorted. "You do not trust me."

"Well – no," he admitted. "But I do now. Sort of."

Darkfire stood, picking up Saffire. "Where are the others?"

"I don't know," he said. "We should find them."

* * *

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my apprentice, returning with my prey."

Andy bowed his head. "Yes, sir. I've brought Starfire for you." The girl had her head bowed as well, eyes closed, facing the ground.

Slade stepped down from his elevated chair. Placing his hand under her chin, he tilted her head up. "My, my, you are just as pretty as they say," he said, a hint of a smile in his voice. "I'm sure you and Claw will get along just fine."

She flinched.

"Oh, yes," he said, laughing. "This is my third apprentice. Andrew Logan, soon to be known as Claw throughout the entire world."

Andy's face scrunched up in dislike, but luckily, Slade didn't notice. "You two had better be getting used to each other," he said softly. "After all, you _will_ be training together for a rather long time."

Now, Starfire was trembling. "I will never be your apprentice," she informed him, eyes squeezing shut in revulsion. At least he was wearing gloves.

Again, Slade laughed, a creepy experience for those who hear it. "You will," he said softly, "Because if you don't, your friends will die."

On the wall behind him, screens flickered to life. Cyborg's huge frame shuddered as the virus racked his circuitry. Raven hovered to the ceiling, water up to her waist even that high above the ground. Robin's room, dark and lifeless.

Starfire finally dared to look. Her softly glowing eyes took in everything, how her friends suffered, and realized why her father had done what he did. No matter how much his own pain was, it would be nothing compared to the suffering for his people.

Now matter how much she hated Slade, it was nothing compared to her friends' lives.

Her legs just gave out. So much _stress_ had been placed on her; Star's body couldn't handle it. "I will do it," she said, looking up at her captor. Her voice was weak. "I will do it – for my friends."

Slade let her head drop. "Take her to your room, Claw," he instructed Andy.

Muttering under his breath, the metamorph shifted to become a large Siberian tiger, letting her fall onto his back, and padded off to his room.

Slade shook his head. "Such a pity," he said, touching a single button.

* * *

As Robin and Darkfire reached Raven's room, the door slid open. Hundreds of liters of water poured out, flooding the place. Saffire instantly started hacking, struggling to sit up in her cousin's arms.

Robin rushed into his friend's room. "Raven!" he exclaimed, stooping to help her.

She shivered, almost sopping wet to her neck. "It – the apprentice – where's everyone?"

"We do not know," Darkfire said, leaning against the doorway.

Saffire was already kneeling next to her mentor, a worried look on her face. "Raven, you are well, is?"

Smiling a bit, she nodded. "But where're the others? We need to find them."

The group went through the Tower, finding nothing until Cyborg stumbled from his room, crashing into Saffire and nearly flattening her.

"Sorry, man," he said, words slurring slightly. "I'm no' feelin' too great…"

Robin and Darkfire caught him, backing him into his room and setting him in the recharge. "What happened?" Robin demanded. "Are you all right?"

Cyborg shook his head. "No. I've got some sorta virus."

The leader nodded. "I'll set the purger."

* * *

"Why do you take orders from Slade?"

Starfire was sitting on Andy's bed, watching him build a second one for her. He did not look pleased to be doing manual labor.

He took a moment to glare at her, then continued his work. "Slade rescued me from the Davis-Besse mess I got into," he said in a low voice. "He saved my life. When he brought me to Jump City, he offered to help me control my powers, and in exchange, I would work for him." He sighed, setting the bed's frame upright. "My powers are working smoother, and I'm even getting stronger, but – I don't know."

She nodded. It was the same ploy, she believed, that Slade had used on friend Terra to lure her in as well. "I believe that he did the same ting with another Titan," she told Andy. "Terra was the same way."

"Terra?" He looked confused.

"Um," she said. Terra hadn't been around too long, really.

Then, she thought of something else. Robin had become an apprentice under the threat of the other Titans. _Slade is not very creative._

"I guess we'd better get going," Andy said, emerging from a closet. The boy wore a metal suit, much like the one Terra wore, with Slade's crest on the center of the chest. He tossed a package to her, a near exact duplicated costume of the one he wore. "We're on a pretty tight schedule of taking over the city."

* * *

**Rory: Man, that was weird. I'm not sure I liked that chapter. Anyways, reviews are nice...**


	14. XIV

**Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. At all. While I created chatacters (i.e. Saff and Andy) for purposes of this plot, I don't own 'em. SO THERE: pokes out tongue immaturely :**

**Rory: Wow. Long chapter. Nearly 3000 words again! But yeah. Thanks for the reviews!**

**Raidersrule76: ...A very bad insult. You say that again, you are a dead boy...But thank you. You'll see.**

**EMBER91: Yeah, that wasn't the best of chapters. It was okay, though.**

**Jaina 12: Hey, cool, new reviewer! Welcome on board! Starfire is kinda underplayed. Not as bad as Cyborg, though...but Robin and Raven are the worst. They get most of the showtime. But yeah. And I live sorta near Davis-Besse as well. The region, at least. (Frickin' Nazis are coming to town...)**

**MaskBehindTheShadows: Oooh, thanks! It was a decent chapter...not the best...but I'm getting better with bad guys. I'm sorry I was so late...I didn't finish this till last night.  
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* * *

**

If someone had looked up at the top of the CompCo building that stood in the center of Jump City from the base of the building, that lucky person would have seen three small figures standing at the edge. Maybe that person would wonder why there were people on top of the building, or perhaps they would have wondered what new villain had appeared today. Maybe, if the person had grown up in Jump City, the person would have wondered when the Teen Titans would arrive.

They wouldn't.

At least, that's what the tallest of the three figures thought.

Slade smiled at the city below him. "I love to watch the city," he told his apprentices. "Always moving, ever-flowing, cars and people and buses moving around without any idea of what may happen to them."

"What are we going to do? What do we have to take?" Claw asked quietly.

He laughed softly. "First things first, Claw. I'm going to tell you what you have to lose."

On his other side, the girl shivered. Starfire was not going to enjoy this.

The man pulled out a thin, flat video screen. He held it for his two students to see.

"Yeah, so what?" Claw started to say. But then, the screen flickered to life.

It showed a brightly-lit room with white walls. It was huge, almost cavernous, but its size was now what was intended to draw the eye. In the center of this chamber was a chair, and on that chair sat one green Titan. Beast Boy was bound to the chair, a gag in his mouth, and he was looking about wildly, looking for something, anything that would help him get out.

Now, this may not have been merely a vaguely disturbing image, except that the entire room was lined with laser guns that just so happened to be aimed at him.

"If you don't do as I tell you," said Slade slowly, "Your little friend here is going to die."

For the first time, Starfire spoke. "How did you take him?" she demanded.

"A master doesn't reveal his tricks," Slade replied smoothly. "Now, what I want you two to do is to lure the remaining Titans out to us. I have – a little surprise for them."

Starfire bristled. "I will not hurt my friends," she hissed. "Nor shall I help you do it!"

He laughed once more. "No worries, Starfire, I'm not going to hurt them. Just give them a little – shock." From his belt, Slade pulled out something similar to a stun gun. He pointed it at himself and clicked the trigger. A tiny spark of electricity shot out at him. "You see? Of course, the setting will be a little higher, but I don't want them dead, my dear. I only want them out of the way."

Still not trusting him, Starfire looked away.

"Now, start doing – whatever it is petty criminals do," Slade said, flapping one hand. "Just to grab their attention."

* * *

Robin paced the main room, rubbing his head. For once, he wasn't sure what he was doing. "Guys," he said desperately, "Where is Starfire?" 

Raven opened her eyes. "I can't find her presence anywhere near the Tower," she informed them. Saffire drew her legs up to her chest. "The only way we're gonna be able to find Star is to actually see her. Slade probably crushed her communicator straight off."

Cyborg nodded. "Our only chance is that Slade makes her commit a crime, like he did with you, man."

_Thunk._

"She is not like that," Darkfire growled from his spot by the window. "The sister I knew would not do something so stupid!"

"She may not have a choice," Robin shot back at him. "When Slade made me be his apprentice, the lives of my friends were at stake! This isn't just a game we play by dressing up in pretty costumes. This is our _job_, and it requires sacrifice!"

Darkfire turned to him, eyes blazing. "You think I do not understand sacrifice?" He stalked towards Robin. "I have made sacrifices since I let my father sell my sisters into slavery!"

Raven flew between the two angry boys. "Fighting between us will solve nothing," she said. "The only way we can get Starfire back is to work together."

Stubbornly, they both turned away. She hung her head, exasperated. "Cyborg, a plan -?"

"Got it," he said, pulling up the computer screen. "I've run diagnostic tests on everyone, just to be sure he didn't get us with nanobots again." Cyborg tapped some keys. "Everyone's just fine. I think. Saffire and Darkfire's blood didn't exactly look like Starfire's."

Darkfire looked more than a tad guilty.

"But besides genetic crap, everyone looks perfectly healthy," he continued. "But that's not what we need to worry about. From now on, everyone goes in pairs. We're calling in the Calvary on this one, guys. Terra and Sierra from their post in the Justice League Space Station, Bee and the crew from Titans East, Hot Spot, Wildebeest, every Titan in the world is coming to the Tower."

Saffire piped up. "There are, then, more s-Titan? Are they from where?"

"All over," Raven said. "Anyone worthy of being a hero is a Titan."

Robin nodded. "Together, we can't lose," he said with a grimly satisfied smile.

Cyborg twisted around. "Both Star and Beast Boy are missing," he said. "Slade may have taken BB as bait for Starfire."

Nodding, Raven floated a few feet into the air, looking to the horizon. "Hey, guys," she said. "I think the Calvary has arrived."

The alarm started to ring. Robin grimaced. "And just in time," he said. "I think Slade is dropping his bait."

* * *

"This is not right," Starfire mumbled. She and Andy were putting on a good show of making the bank clerk hand over some money. 

He shook his head. "It isn't our choice," he reminded her.

"They are not coming," she replied impatiently. She needed her friends to get her out of this mess as soon as possible.

Andy rolled his eyes. "Shut up, will you?" he said.

Finally, Starfire did something she never would have done ordinarily. She tapped the teller on the shoulder. "I am very sorry," she said, "But this is important." She conked her over the head with one fist and hit the alarm button.

"What did you do that for!" Andy yelled as yellow and green strobe lights began flashing. Black and white police cars were pulling up to the bank with a screech.

The two started to run. Starfire flew up, grabbing Andy's arm with one hand. Irked, he morphed once more into a Siberian tiger. Since she was strong enough to pick up Beast Boy in elephant form, it didn't really do much.

Something black and yellow whizzed at her from one side. Starfire dodged it by millimeters.

"Don't move, Starfire," Robin yelled from the building below.

Andy – Claw – wriggled from the girl's grasp and dropped to the same rooftop as the Titans' pissed-off leader. He growled menacingly, then changed back into a human. "Stay away," he hissed, pulling out several throwing stars.

"I wouldn't do that, man," said a voice from behind him. When Claw turned, Cyborg had his sonic cannon pointed directly at him.

In a flash, Starfire swooped down and grabbed the half-metal teen, tossing him unceremoniously a few feet from his original spot. "Do not hurt him," she told her friend warningly.

Meanwhile, Robin was yelling into his communicator. "Calling all Titans! Sector 47-A! I repeat: 47-A!"

Twisting back to face Robin, Starfire zoomed over, but it was too late. A white-edged black shape materialized between the pair. "Don't get any closer," Raven said quietly, cape rippling slightly.

Starfire frowned, worried. "Friend Raven, I do not wish to hurt you – "

She was cut off by another voice behind her. "Good, 'cause we don't feel like nailing you, either." Bumble Bee pressed a stinger against Star's back.

The girl trembled. This was not going the way Slade had wanted. "I will not hurt you," she said.

Below them, Claw wrestled with Cyborg, Robin, Speedy, and Aqualad as the four boys tried to clap handcuffs on him. "Get off me!" he yelled, then began spurting obscenities.

A voice sounded in Starfire's ear from the transmitter Slade had given her. "Help him," hissed the voice, "Or the consequences will be…dire."

Shivering, Starfire thought for one calculating moment, then turned her head to Bumble Bee. "I am sorry," she said, then slammed one fist into the golden stingers. They bent, useless. She flew towards Raven, disabling her friend with a single zap, and went on to Andy's aide.

"Let him go," she told the four boys warningly.

From one side, she was blasted with a cyclone of water. She looked down to find Aqualad and Mas y Menos watching her. "I'm sorry, Starfire," Aqualad called, "We can't let you ravage the city!"

"What's taking you so long?" Slade asked once more.

Starfire shook her head and aimed a concentrated starbolt straight at Mas y Menos. They split, and she zapped Aqualad with an edge.

A lime-colored tear dripped down her face, but she knew what she had to do. Starfire flew to where her four ex-teammates – her four friends – were standing, and did what she thought she'd never do.

She hit Robin.

With the length of her arm, she struck both Robin and Speedy, knocking them both out, then grabbed Claw. He morphed into a snow leopard and the pair took to the sky.

* * *

"Damn!" 

Cyborg rammed his fist into the ground. Starfire really was a good fighter; she had taken out three Titans and partially disabled a fourth. He rubbed his head.

Thunder and Lightning ran up. "Did we miss anything?" Lightning panted.

"YES!" Cyborg exploded. "We just lost a battle against TWO!"

Bumble Bee rested a hand on his shoulder. "Look, Cy," she said, "It isn't their fault. The same way it's not Hotspot or Wildebeest's fault." The other two Titans were taking care of Robin and Speedy with the help of the dilatory Terra and Sierra. "We just – need a better plan."

He glared at her for a moment, then sighed. "Yeah. I know."

"Hey, Cy!" called Hotspot, "There's something wrong!"

The second-in-command moved to his side. "Yeah?"

"The – something isn't right. His readings, they've gone all funky…" Hotspot frowned, staring at the device in his hand. "They're just out of proportion! There isn't any sort of intense radioactivity around here, so I don't know what it could be."

Cyborg frowned. "Well, either Robin's breathing at a rate of seventy-six thousand breaths per minute, or there's something up."

A noise called the Titans' attention to the ground. Something was moving under their feet.

And that something looked like a giant net.

* * *

"Good-night, Titans," Slade chuckled. He pressed the button on his remote. Such a wondrous device. He could send shock waves through cables with a single tap.

* * *

"Uuuuuuuuhm, fire-Dark," Saffire said as she floated by her cousin on a cerulean bubble. "Is-where the Ey-foorti-sevin sektre?" 

He frowned, still flying along Jump City's beaches. "Where did you hear that?" he asked her in English.

"I hear it from the great-distance-sound," she told him. "Of the voice of the Robin-Titan."

Darkfire blinked at his cousin. He forgot how good her hearing was. "I do not know," he said, "But it is probably in the middle of the city." He turned towards the town.

She nodded, and then asked, "Darkfire?"

Sighing, he replied, "Yes, Korian?"

"Does what 'heeeeylp' mean?"

"Heylp?" He didn't know any English words 'heylp', but he knew a glorgian 'heylp'. Then it dawned on him. "You mean 'help'?" She nodded, and Darkfire laughed. "Oh, that is easy," he said. "It is the same as 'kiyah' in your language."

**(A/n: Wait for it…)**

"OH, KOMA KORI-NYRITH!"

* * *

Starfire landed with a thump behind Slade. "What have you done?" she cried desperately. "Are my friends alive?" 

"Of course, my dear," he said. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Owwwww!"

"Hey!"

"Aqualad, get your damn foot outta my face! You smell like rotten FISH!"

"Bumblebeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, that huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuur-TAH!"

"EEEEEEEIIIIIP! WHAT THE HELL! SPEEDY, GET AWAY FROM ME!"

Robin sighed. "Will you guys shut _up_," he muttered, face squashed into the bottom of the net. Unfortunately, Robin and Speedy had regained conciousness once they had been caught in the net. Especially unfortnate for Sierra, who had been bending over his face when they were caught. Something told Robin that Speedy may not walk away with all four limbs attached to his body.

"Robin's right," said Bumble Bee, whose face was pressed against Cyborg's arm. "We need to calm down."

Aqualad snorted. "This coming from the girl who BIT my FOOT?"

"The Bumble Bee has done the chomping on your lower digitary organ?"

Surprised, the Titans turned to face the voice. Darkfire was floating near them, and Saffire sat on a blue sphere, gazing with curious interest at Aqualad.

"Uh, sure," he said.

She giggled.

"I'm glad to see you," Robin said. "Can you get us out of here?"

Darkfire plucked at the strands. "Hmm. I do not think so," he said. "It is made of Diffusium, which cannot be pulled apart. The only thing that would break it is something made of the material you call 'ivory' on Earth."

Cyborg moaned. "The ONE TIME we need BB…"

He shrugged. "But where is my sister?"

"Gone," Terra grumbled. "At least ten minutes ago. Slade's got her."

Sierra piped up. "His hideout is in the northern end of Jump City. Where Terra was adamantined. Go there."

Saffire grinned, and Darkfire took off to the sky. "Thank you."

* * *

"You said he'd be safe!" 

Starfire hid in the shadows of the main room of Slade's lair. Andy had yanked off his helmet-thing and gone to see Beast Boy, except that he couldn't. Beast Boy was now suspended over a pit of boiling oil, and gradually being lowered in.

The sinister man shrugged. "My appprentices disappointed me," he said. "They have to be punished."

His cat eyes narrowed. "Fine," Andy snapped. "I won't do this any longer. I want my family to be safe. I quit." He tried to tug off the crest, but he received a nasty shock.

Slade smiled. "It won't work," he said. "It worked on my last apprentice, and it will work on you, too. That's built into your neurological system. It won't come off – until you die." His eyes narrowed. "And my apprentices don't quit."

Andy flew across the room from the force of his blow. There was a nasty crack as he hit the wall. "You – you son of a – " Slade hit him again. This time, he landed on the floor.

"Stop!" Starfire flew from the shadows, blasting a starbolt at Andy's tormentor. He dodged it and moved back as the ground melted beneath him. She knelt and picked Andy up like a child.

He looked up at her weakly. "Th-thanks," he said, "But I'm okay." He transformed into a huge tiger again and lumbered towards Slade.

The man laughed. "You can't do anything to me," he said. "That suit controls you, too…"

Suddenly, Andy began to tremble. Starfire's eyes widened. "Andy, no!" she yelled. "You must fight it!"

The tiger's hunched form turned back into a skinny teenage boy. "I – I can't – " He lashed out at her, missing by mere centimeters.

She flew up, infuriated. "SLADE!"

One wall of the cave exploded, piles of dust billowing towards the three.

"Kori? Kori!" Darkfire and Saffire appeared in the hole left by their starbolts.

She stared. "How did you – " Starfire was cut off by a blow to her ribs, leaving her choking and gasping for air.

Slade looked down at her triumphantly. "Tsk, tsk, apprentices should always pay attention to their teacher…" He kicked her again.

What he did not expect was the double blow to his head. Andy had launched a rock at him from one side, and Darkfire had shot him with a red 'rock' of star-clumps from the other. He fell to his knees, then collapsed.

"Starfire!" Darkfire yelled, flying to her. Andy knelt by her as well.

She looked up at the three people over her. "I – am all right," she said finally.

Andy smiled. "Good."

Saffire moved over to examine Slade and kicked him forcefully through the chest. Her foot busted a hole through his chest, revealing a spray of wires. She jumped back, very freaked out.

"A robot," Starfire whispered. "That is how he did it."

Shaking, Andy stammered, "So – he's still alive?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Starfire said, sitting up. "But we must save Beast Boy before we can worry about Slade."

* * *

**Rory: Phewww. That's over. But the story isn't. Tune in Thursday for the epilogue of Thicker Than Water.**

**Also, updates are coming on Tuesdays and Thursdays now. And I suggest being ready to read in two days...**


	15. XV

**Disclaimer: Ain't mine. Now look what you made me do. I had to use crappy grammar! Now get OFF my CASE!**

**Rory: Short chapter. I'm sorry. But it IS an epilogue…

* * *

**

"Uh, Darkfire?"

The boy looked up from his meditation. Robin was standing in his doorway, looking awkward. He nodded, indicating for him to enter.

"I – have something – to tell you." Robin was mumbling, making his feeble words hard to understand.

Ryand'r was not impressed. "Yes?"

He was quiet. Finally, Darkfire glared at him hard enough, and he began to speak. "I'm sorry for how I've been treating you," he muttered. "And for accusing you of betraying us to Slade."

Robin leaned against the wall. "It's hard, you know," he said abruptly. "Being the leader of the Teen Titans. I know I've almost cracked before. I'm pretty sure I cracked this time, too. My opinions get me into trouble, and others are endangered, too. Maybe I'm not as good a leader as they all think I am." Behind the mask, his eyes were downcast, staring glumly at the ground. "I just hope you can forgive me. And accept this."

"What?" Darkfire couldn't believe his eyes. The other teen was holding out a small, round device. It was yellow, with a black and white design etched into its surface.

Robin was offering to make him a Titan.

He sat staring at it, completely still. "You wish for me to become – a _Titan_?" Darkfire said softly. "Me?"

He nodded in reply. "Yeah," he said. "You deserve it. If it weren't for you, Starfire would still be Slade's apprentice. We never would have found Andy, and the Titans probably would have been dissolved."

It was hard to imagine the Titans being dissolved.

Darkfire gulped. "I – I accept," he said, taking the communicator. Then he hesitated. "Saff is getting one as well, correct?"

"Yeah, of course," Robin said. "We'll work with her to help her improve her powers. You and Star can teach her how to use her Tameranian blood to the fullest, and about her culture. I'll teach her hand-to-hand, and Raven will keep up with her spiritual training." The teen stood, away from the wall, and held out his hand. "Welcome to the Teen Titans."

Proudly, Darkfire shook his hand. He even managed to keep from crushing it.

"There's still one thing I don't understand, though," Robin said, right before he left the room. "I was convinced you were a spy because you had to 'do' something that first day we met you, and you wouldn't bring the _Luand'r_ to the Tower. What did you do with it?"

He sighed in relief. "Is that all?" he asked. "I placed the _Luand'r_ in a cave near the shore of Jump City. The place had many minerals that would help to heal the ship's hull."

Robin frowned. "'Heal'? Metal doesn't heal. It isn't alive."

"Tameranian metal is."

* * *

Quietly, Darkfire appeared outside his sister's room. She had been right; he owed her an explanation for his binding. 

He sighed, then knocked on the door.

A pair of green eyes peered out of Starfire's room. Ryand'r could remember when his eyes looked just like that. "Brother!" she said happily, opening the door wide. "Come in!" He followed her into the painfully…pink…room. "What do you need?"

"I wanted to talk to you." He took a deep breath. "You – you should know about who I am bound to."

She hesitated, then nodded. "I did not wish to press you when I found that it was not Slade."

"But you should know." Darkfire gazed evenly at her. "It is not the girl I wish to marry. It is – Korian."

Starfire stared at him blankly.

"I am sorry. I will unbind myself as soon as I can, but I promised her mother." He swallowed. "Our – aunt – Keliand'r was afraid to allow Korian to go on such a dangerous mission so far from her home, and the only way I could convince her to allow Korian to come with me was to bind myself to her."

"I see." Starfire relaxed. "You understand my worry, brother."

He nodded. "Being bound to someone besides a spouse is like – "

"Like being a homosexual," she supplied helpfully.

"Um, yes, that," he said, reddening. "But Saffire can look out for herself. So there is no need for me to bind my blood to hers."

There was a knock at the door, and Beast Boy stuck his head in. "Dude," he said. "Robin wants to see everyone in the main room."

Claw stuck his head in above his cousin's. "Yeah. Terra and Sierra are back. They know where Slade really is."

Terra paced in front of the entire team, blue eyes gleaming with vengeance. Her sister tapped her foot against the floor, fidgeting in her seat.

"Finally!" she exploded as Starfire dragged her brother into the room. "We've been waiting, like, forever!"

Sierra shook her head. "Tara, you really do need to stop that ungainly talk. 'Like.' It's most unbecoming of you. And there is much more important news to tell."

She nodded. "All right. Everyone here?"

"Yes!" yelled Robin.

A crease wrinkled Terra's forehead. "You sure?"

He sighed. "Fine. How about this. If you aren't here, raise your hand."

Most of the group raised their hands.

"There you go." Robin settled back into his chair.

Terra rolled her eyes, and Sierra took over. "Using the Justice League's systems, and under the guidance of Superman himself – "

"You'd think we weren't trustworthy," Terra commented.

" – We were able to find the location of Slade's latest hideout," Sierra finished. "We have located his DNA signature and have found exactly where he is. Cyborg?"

He tapped on the computer, pulling up scan after scan. "This really is an ingenious system," he said. "Scanners across the US. It's impossible to hide from it."

After a few moments, a map of the country appeared on the screen. "This is the United States," Sierra said, indicating the land mass.

"Yeah, we know," Raven said. "What's so special about it?"

"We are here." She pointed to southern California, a few miles south of where San Franciso used to be. "We traced the ion beams from the android that Slade used to here." Using a stick, she indicated a spot all the way across the nation, in Florida.

The Titans sat in a stunned silence. Slade had wreaked havoc in Jump City from _Florida_?

"He's operating from Orlando?" Bumble Bee finally said weakly.

Sierra shook her head.

"Oh. Miami, then." Robin looked relieved.

But Terra shook her head.

Claw was turning a bit red. "Dammit, where _is_ he, then?"

The girls looked at each other, then at the other Titans. "Jupiter," they said in unison.

Note chibi sweat.

"You're telling us that Slade is living on a giant gaseous planet?" Raven asked in exasperation. "No way. Not even those huge things off Tameran could live there without getting squashed by the intense gravity."

"Not the planet," Sierra said.

Terra shook her head. "Jupiter, Florida. He's hiding in a small town across the country. And Sierra and I are going to be the ones to kill him. For good."

* * *

**Rory: I'm hearing some kwehness in the audience. Yes, Jupiter Florida. It does exist, as a matter of fact. But yeah.**

**And so ends Thicker Than Water. Kinda crappy ending, I know. I'm sorry. But I'm done! HA: does insane dance :**

**There's another in-betweener, The Lake Huron Monster, that's going up today as well. It just adds an important bit to the storyline. Pretty short. Then comes the major sequal, Greener on the Other Side. As this story focuses mainly on Starfire, the sequal focuses mostly on Beast Boy and some general crap in his life. Robin is portrayed a lot differently than in Thicker Than Water, as well. So go check it out!**

**Oh, yeah, reviews would be nice. Heh.**


End file.
